Gold Saint Birthday Collection
by Naotoki Yamanouchi
Summary: Basically a series of short stories covering what the goldies do for their birthdays. Chapter 13: Shaka gets a valuable lesson on spending time in the company of others COMPLETE!
1. Night Wanderers

A/N: This is the first in a series of short stories I am writing for my adopted Imouto-Chan, AuroraExecution. Yeah, it's weird starting with Libra, but I'm taking it as the birthdays come. Today is Dohko's birthday, and this is his fic. Enjoy!

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Sleep. If there was one thing Dohko of Libra enjoyed, it was getting his full night's worth of rest before he got up again to endure more of his grueling training. He may have only been six-years-old-or rather, seven now, as it was well past the midnight hour and therefor his birthday-but he still understood that a decent amount of sleep eased the aches in his bones and not only made training easier, it made his lessons more bearable.

Dohko threw himself down onto his mattress and pulled his single blanket over his body. He brushed his auburn hair off his face and positioned himself comfortably. His green eyes slipped shut. Within seconds he was asleep.

"Dohko...are you awake?", a half-whispered voice pulled him from his sleep what felt like seconds after he drifted off. Dohko groaned and flipped onto his stomach, pulling his blanket over his head.

"Dohko...", the voice grew louder, more urgent.

Dohko tossed back his blanket, startling the person in the room with him. He or she dropped their candle, engulfing the room in darkness. Dohko sighed.

Feeling almost unbearable pain as his muscles protested, the little boy climbed off his mattress and lit a candle, trying to see who was in his temple. His first thought was it was the Pisces Saint, Neoma, was passing through. She had a habit of staying back and always turned into bed late-well, later than everyone else. Closer inspection revealed not Neoma, or even the other female saint, Nimue. No. This person's mask-less face indicated that he was male. A young male, around Dohko's own age, with wild pale-green tresses and mischief-filled violet eyes.

Dohko groaned. Shion of Aries, who had a major tendency to cause trouble, stood in his temple. Shion had taken a liking to Dohko for reasons the Libra Saint did not understand. All he knew at that moment was he wanted sleep and he wanted Shion to leave. Not one to be rude, but also not someone who pretended he was happy to see someone when he wished they would leave him alone, he asked "What do you want, Shion?"

The slightly older boy grinned at Dohko through the dim candle light. "Well, it's your birthday. I wanted to show you something."

"And this couldn't wait until morning?", Dohko asked.

"No. You have to see this at night...", Shion replied.

Dohko sighed again, but decided to humor Shion. He'd go see whatever it was, shake him off, and get some sleep. "Show me."

Shion picked his candle up off the floor and re-lit it using Dohko's. "Come. You'll like this", he said eagerly.

Dohko did not share Shion's enthusiasm as he picked up his blanket and slung it around his shoulders to keep warm.

Shion, dressed in a long-sleeved gray tunic that he had paired with matching leggings and a cloak, led the way out of Libra temple...out of the other temples...down the steps leading out of Aries temple...outside the Sanctuary...

"Shion...where are we going?", Dohko asked.

"How good are your teleportation skills?", Shion asked, ignoring the question.

"Ummm...not good?", Dohko asked-replied, his heart hammering. This was crazy-of course Shion had breaking the rules in mind.

"Good thing mine are-take my hand."

"Shion, this is crazy. We'll get in trouble.", Dohko protested.

The green-haired boy smiled broadly, showing off his missing baby teeth. "It's OK. I've done this nightly and have never been caught."

"That doesn't make it OK".

"It'll be alright, I promise." Shion held out his hand to Dohko.

The auburn-haired boy eyed the pale, chubby hand warily. His green eyes locked into the violet eyes of Shion. They looked so eager Dohko felt sorry for him.

"Alright", he said, grabbing Shion's hand. "A quick look. Then we come back."

"You got it"

With those words they were off. Dohko hated the feeling of teleporting, the main reason he wasn't that skilled at it. To him it felt like someone pulled his stomach out so it could be left behind on his travels. If teleportation bothered Shion, he didn't show it. Not that the feeling lasted long-about 25 seconds, tops-but it seemed a lot longer when you hated it.

The boys slammed against the ground with a thud that knocked the wind out of Dohko. Shion pulled himself to his feet and extended his hand to Dohko to pull him up. The auburn-haired boy took ahold of it and allowed the green-haired boy to tug him to his feet. His eyes shot open as he took in the surroundings.

"Shion, where are we?", he breathed.

The green-haired boy shrugged. "I don't know...I actually found this place by accident. I knew you'd like it, so I worked on finding it again until I could get here and back with no problems."

That explained why Shion had been appearing tired in classes the past few days...Dohko bit his lip feeling guilty because he'd always wanted nothing to do with Shion.

"Well, don't just stand there like a stuck pig. Let's get moving", Shion called, snapping Dohko out of his daze.

"Ah...right...", Dohko stammered, rushing to catch up with the green-haired boy.

Pink and purple flowers and lush green plants surrounded the area. He understood now wht Shion wanted to take him at night-the area had a fantasy-like quality.

"Hurry up, slow-poke. We haven't gotten to the good part yet."

"Shion, there's no need to run!", Dohko protested, hurrying after legs that begged him to stop the movement.

"If you want to get any sleep tonight you must hurry along."

Dohko's legs continued to scream at him to stop as he quickened his pace after the other boy.

"Shion", he called when the other boy slipped out of view.

"Here", Shion called back. "I'm up here!"

Dohko sighed and followed Shion's voice. He found himself ontop of a cliff. "Woah..."

"Impressive, huh?", Shion asked, stepping beside Dohko.

Dohko nodded, unable to speak. His green eyes wandered over the spread before him. They were standing over a magnificent waterfall that rushed into a lake deep below them. The moonlight made the surface appear to glitter.

Dohko closed his eyes, thinking he could let the sounds of the waterfall lull him to sleep.

"Dohko...take my hand again."

"Hang on...", Dohko said, not quite ready to leave the waterfall and all its lush surroundings behind.

"We can come back, I know how to get here. Come on, I want to show you something else."

"Hey, who's birthday is this anyway?", Dohko asked.

Shion laughed, his eyes twinkling at Dohko. "Yours, but if you stay here looking at the waterfall, you'll regret not seeing what's inside."

"Inside?", Dohko asked.

"Well...since you want to admire the waterfall..."

Dohko grabbed Shion's hand eagerly. He didn't even mind the feeling of teleporting this time.

It took his eyes a few moments to adjust to the darkness, but once they did, he could not believe what they were seeing.

They were inside a little cave behind behind the waterfall-a cave filled with all sorts of glistening rocks. He didn't even realize he was holding his breath until the need to breathe kicked in and his lungs started to burn. He released his breath and gazed around wild-eyed.

"Shion-this is amazing!", he managed to get out.

Shion mearly smiled. Maybe it was the lighting, but Shion no longer looked wild and crazy to Dohko. He no longer looked like a delinquent. His eyes looked kind, his features gentle.

Shion genuinely cared about him, Dohko realized. He wondered how long the other boy had been planning this, how long he'd waiting for the chance to extend his friendshp to him.

Tears filled Dohko's eyes and he realized he was crying. He who never cried, not even when he was in pain, was shedding tears.

"Dohko?", Shion whispered, stepping towards him. "What's the matter?"

Dohko shook his head. "Nothing", he whispered."Nothing's the matter."

Shion looked unconvinced, but did not press the issue any more. "I went in here once" his pale hand guestured around the expanse of the cave. "There were some interesting things. You're not afraid of bats, are you?"

"Bats?", Dohko questioned, forgetting his tears as a wave of panic took him. "There are bats in here?"

"It's possible...I encountered a few here last time..." Shion frowned as though showing his dislike for bats.

"I don't really like bats...", Dohko replied.

"Ah, well. It's time to go back anyway." Shion looked a little disappointed. He quickly brightened and held his hand out to Dohko. "We'll come back...I mean, if you want to..."

Dohko took hold of Shion's hand. "I look forward to it", he replied.

Shion squeezed his hand a bit and teleported them away. Dohko experienced the same feeling of leaving his stomach behind, the same feeling of getting the wind knocked out of him as they hit the ground, but this time, no interesting scenery awaited him.

They stood just outside the enterance to Aries Temple-because no one, not even the temple owner, could teleport directly into a temple-noth of them shivering and cold. Shion's pale cheeks where flushed from cold, Dohko thought he'd never regain feeling in his fingers. He was also extremely tired. He yawned.

Shion grinned at him. "Stay the night?", he asked.

Dohko nodded, too tired to think of a reason not to.

Shion gave him a change of clothes, even though his clothes where too small for Dohko, and changed himself. The two little boys fell side-by-side on Shion's mattress.

For a few minutes, Dohko was able to forget they were Saints. Being with Shion, he felt as though they were normal little boys.

"So, did you have a good time?", Shion asked.

"Yeah", Dohko murmured truthfully.

"I'm glad", Shion replied.

Dohko stretched out a bit and closed his eyes. "Thank you."

"For what?", Shion asked. Dohko felt his body shift, as though he were sitting up in bed.

"Being my friend", he replied.

Shion was quiet for a moment and Dohko felt his weight shift again as he lay back down. "You're welcome."

Dohko drifted off to sleep with a smile on his face. He may have been very young, but he knew this birthday was not one he'd soon forget.


	2. Lessons in Friendship

A/N: I know Shion's birthday isn't until March, but out of special request, I decided to post this early. Have the old guys first, and then do the young ones. Please be advised, though, that no other requests will be taken. I am posting the fics in birthday order, on the characters' birthdays. Milo will be starting off the young guys on Nov 8th. That is all. Enjoy!

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Shion, former gold saint of Aries, now Sanctuary's Kyoko-samawas not young by any means. He especially was not young like his student, Mu, who currently lay by his side, snuggled against his lap. He'd been reading to the boy, but some time during the story, the child had fallen asleep and Shion didn't really feel like moving. Absently he brushed his fingers against Mu's soft lavender hair. It'd been a long time since he'd been so innocent and carefree. He'd never really had the chance to be a child, but he'd managed to have a few reasonably careless years in his childhood. Those days, however, were long gone.

Shion sighed and leaned back, thinking about how the day was his birthday. He closed his eyes, willing sleep to take him. There'd been a time when he used to enjoy his birthdays, when he and his best friend, Dohko, would go to new areas and explore. He'd started the tradition on Dohko's seventh birthday, and Dohko had found the experience too exhilarating not to continue. While the card Mu had presented him had put a smile on his face, it couldn't compare to nights out in the wilderness. He'd experienced ten wonderful birthdays, twenty amazing nights out, and if asked about them, he could recall to memory each one in vivid detail.

Then, in a flash, birthdays had gone from joyous occasions to days he fought tears and dealt with loneliness and extreme sadness. The saddest day of his entire life had been on his 19th birthday, a mere two days after the last war. A groan escaped Shion's lips as a memory over two hundred years old dug at wounds in his heart that had never fully healed.

"I found another one", Dohko called as he lifted the body of a blond-haired young man from a pile of rubble.

"That makes seven...Silas and the girls are still unaccounted for..." Shion's voice wavered.

Dohko carried the blond's body a few feet and laid it down where the bodies of six other young men were lined up. While he did that, Shion picked through rocks and debris, hoping to locate the remaining three bodies. He gave a strangled cry and staggered back as his fingers brushed over someone's brown hair. He'd found one of the girls, and the sight of seeing a woman so badly battered hurt him in ways he hadn't thought possible.

Dohko was at his side in a flash. His green eyes flickered with grief as he knelt down and started pulling rubble away from the woman's body. She was tucked firmly in the arms of a man-Silas.

"Neoma died in his arms...", Shion whispered thickly. Tears filled his eyes.

"We'll bury them together...", Dohko murmured. "Let's see if we can find her mask."

Shion lifted two broken shards of a golden mask from the rubble. "We can't put this back on her."

Dohko nodded. "Help me move them. We don't have time to separate them yet."

Together Dohko and Shion lifted the couple and moved them to the line of bodies. They were both exhausted both physically and emotionally, but they could not rest. Nimue was still unaccounted for, and once they found her, they had to bury everyone.

The rain that started two days prior pounded on their bodies as they searched for the last body. Shion's head was pounding and pain from a wound that had not healed yet tugged him. His eyes fluttered, and it was so tempting to just hurl himself on the cold, wet ground and sleep for maybe ten or twelve years. He shook his head to clear his thoughts and pressed on. He would not leave Dohko to do this task alone.

"They scarified their lives for Athena. That is the most important thing to remember right now", Shion said.

"I agree with you, Shion", Dohko replied. "It's sad our friends had to leave so soon, but they went honorably."

They fell silent and continued on with their somber task.

"I found her...", Dohko called to Shion after what felt like an eternity.

"She doesn't look beat up at all...", Shion marveled. "Her Cloth hardly has any scratches."

"One can only wonder what happened to her...", Dohko murmured, lifting her up and bringing her over to the rest of their fallen comrades. Ten fallen gold saints. Ten friends. Shion sighed heavily.

"Now's the hard part...we've got to clean them up and but them in their white burial gowns...", Shion's voice broke.

"Come", Dohko said, his own voice weary. He sounded ancient, much, much older than his eighteen years. "Let's finish this task."

Shion would never in his life forget the sounds of his friends' arms and legs breaking as they straightened their limbs to make them lie more naturally. Then there was the part where they stripped their fallen comrades of their cloth and washed the blood and grime from their bodies. The lacerations and bruises on some of them were so grotesque Shion thought he would be physically ill.

The absolute hardest part for Shion, however, was when he pried Neoma out of the arms of her beloved Silas. Silas's arms let go with a horrible snapping sound, and when he gazed down at the body now in his grip, he could see Neoma's face, her brown eyes wide open in shock, as though the sound of her boyfriend's arms breaking had shocked her, too. Shion gently pushed her eyes closed with his thumb and set about cleaning her up. He washed her, rinsed the grime from her hair, and brushed it. After he'd placed her in her gown, he covered her face with a white cloth since her mask had been broken.

Dohko came over with Silas's freshly washed body in his arms and set it down beside Neoma's. Shion looked down at Silas and shook his head. The white gown did little to hide the marks on the fallen Sagittarius Saint's body.

They continued to work in silence until the last body had been washed and placed in a gown. Then the two friends situated their friends' bodies into nine wooden coffins.

Both of them feeling ready to collapse, they dragged the coffins and situated them into the large grave they'd dug earlier that day. They lined the coffins up into the communal grave that would be their friends' final resting place. It only seemed right to them-they'd spent their whole lives together, they should all be buried together.

Shion slipped to his knees as the last bit of dirt was pushed over the huge grave. Nine coffins bearing the ten bodies of the only family they'd ever really had.

Dohko knelt down beside him. "Shion", he whispered.

Shion lifted his head to gaze at his friend.

Dohko reached out and gently wrapped his tanned hand around Shion's pale fingers. "It's time to say goodbye, Shion."

Shion nodded, but did not move. He bowed his head and shut his eyes.

His mind filled with memories of their childhoods. Goofing off and training sessions. Meal times, even bath times. They'd always been together. Unity had been stressed to them above all other things. The only thing more important than teamwork and cooperation was protecting their Goddess. From the time they were old enough to understand the meaning of the words family and friendship, they'd been told they could win any battle as long as they stood together. Their unity was important. Conflict and strife among the gold saints, the strongest warriors of Athena, could only end in death. To be truly successful in their job as Athena's protectors, they were taught to stand together. Failure to do so would result in their deaths-or worse yet, harm to Athena herself. Shion was proud of his friends. They'd stuck together and given their all...

"Shion...", Dohko's voice pulled him from his thoughts.

"Come on. Let's go back", Dohko said when Shion looked at him.

Shion tried to stand and swayed. Pain shot through him and he winced-he was still bleeding from that re-opened wound.

Dohko's strong arms slipped around his waist and Shion leaned against his friend's shoulders, even though Dohko was shorter than him, and the horns around the collar of his cloth made it quite awkward.

A breeze tossed Dohko's dark reddish-brown locks into Shion's face and he could smell the blood and sweat in it. He imagined his own hair smelled just as bad and he wondered if the stench of blood would ever leave them. His eyes started to slip closed. He felt Dohko prod him to keep him awake.

The walk back to Sanctuary was long and grueling. Shion could barely move one foot in front of the other and Dohko hardly had the strength to keep himself up, let alone to support Shion's weight, but somehow, by some miracle, they made it back to sanctuary and got into Aries temple.

Dohko helped Shion clean his wound and change into a clean pair of brown pants with a matching tunic. He then helped him get situated on his pallet and made him a cup of herbal tea to discourage infection.

Shion sipped the tea, watching Dohko from the corner of his eye. He knew they were both thinking about the new assignments Athena had given them. Shion would remain in sanctuary as the new Kyoko-sama.When the time came, he would help shape a new generation of Saints. Dohko would go to the Rozen Peaks and guard the seal there. Both of them had important jobs-jobs that, once they recovered from their wounds, would probably keep them from ever seeing each other again.

Shion finished his tea and lay back down. Dohko took the cup and placed a moist cloth on Shion's forehead for extra protection. A fever could prove fatal. Too tired to even form words, Dohko opted to mind-speak with his friend. _Will you be alright?_

Shion stared up at him. _Physically I think I will recover just fine, but please, don't go._

_You want me to stay with you?_

Shion nodded. He hated the thought of being by himself. _If you don't mind._

_Very well._ Dohko helped himself to a set of Shion's clothes, even though Shion was both taller and thinner than he was, and settled on the floor beside Shion's pallet, curled up under an extra blanket.

_Thanks, friend_, Shion thought.

The two young men laid side-by-side in silence in the dark, drawing comfort from each other's presence, until they finally fell asleep.

"Master!"

Shion's eyes fluttered open to his student's voice. Mu was staring at him with round, anxious eyes.

"Are you sick, Master? You're sweating and you kept groaning."

Shion smiled at the child. "No, I'm not sick...". He trailed off as he noticed something glinting on the table.

Shion carefully side-stepped the still-worried Mu and gazed at the table. There were three glittering rocks. His stomach dropped and he gripped the table for support. No way...

A note under the rock confirmed his suspicions.

_Shion-_

_Guess what the Rozen Peaks are. That's right. The very same place we went on our first excursion. I hope you enjoy these. I thought you might. Happy birthday._

_ -Dohko_

Shion read the note four times over before he gave up trying to puzzle out how Dohko had snuck in without him noticing. Dohko was a clever old man, and if anyone could pull it off, it was he.

He placed his arms around Mu's shoulders and gazed down at the boy. "Mu, today I think I will give you a long over-due lesson in friendship."

"I don't understand, Master", Mu replied softly.

Shion smiled warmly. "Don't worry, Mu. You will."


	3. Drinking Lessons

A/N: HAPPY BIRTHDAY, MILO!!! I am SO HAPPY! Milo is my absolute number one favorite:: ahem :: I'm calm now. This fic ties in with chapter five of The Week. Enjoy!

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There were three lessons Milo of Scorpio would never forget as long as he lived, and he learned all of them the day after he turned eighteen.

It had started innocently enough, He'd been approached by Aiolia, the Leo Saint, and the Capricorn Saint, Shura. Aiolia had asked him if he'd wanted him and Shura to take him out for a few drinks-nothing too major. Certainly they wouldn't get too out of control with Shura there. He'd agreed and had even asked his best friend, Camus, to join them. Camus had stared at him like he had twenty heads, told him no, and that had been that. Milo returned to his temple to get ready for the evening.

Shura had come by a little after eight looking somewhat reluctant. Milo had the feeling Shura wouldn't even be with them at all if he hadn't promised Aiolia's older brother he'd look after him. Together they walked down to Leo temple and met up with Aiolia, who smiled warmly at them.

"I hope Deathmask is out when we pass through..." Aiolia said as he tried to suppress a shudder.

Milo nodded and bit his lip. Deathmask was twenty one-Shura's age, and three years older than Milo and Aiolia-and liked to cause trouble for the younger saints. Sometimes he'd refuse to let them pass through all together.

Cancer Temple was, thankfully, empty. So was Gemini. The trio waved to Aldebarran of Taurus as they walked through his temple, then stopped to watch Mu of Aries, who was back in Sanctuary for a few days, try to wrestle his six-year-old student, Kiki, into a bath.

"So where are you guys taking me?", Milo asked, hoping Aiolia had picked the place. He and the Leo saint were a lot alike in most aspects and therefore more trusted by Milo when it came to choosing a spot for an exciting evening.

"Don't know...Aiolia picked the place", Shura murmured.

"Just follow me-it's a surprise", Aiolia said as he led the way.

As the trio walked down the street, girls kept eying them hopefully. Milo smiled and waved to them all. He liked being the object of attention.

"I wish you wouldn't do that", Shura said.

"Aw, why not? We're single."

"Aiolia's not."

At Shura's statement, Aiolia made a sputtering sound and turned bright crimson.

"What are you talking about, Shura?", he asked.

Milo smirked as he watched Aiolia rake his fingers through his golden-brown curls nervously, his green eyes fixed everywhere but on them.

Shura's dark eyes narrowed. What was Aiolia? Stupid? "You saw her face-as in, no mask. You're not dead. What do you call that?"

"Who's face?", Milo asked eagerly. "So she's a saint-which one?"

Aiolia shot Shura a warning glance.

Shura gently rested his hand on Aiolia's shoulder. "Sorry, Milo. If he wants you to know, he'll tell you."

Milo shrugged. He'd find out who she was...

"Ah, we're here.", Aiolia said and led them into a crowded night club.

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Shura sipped at a soda and watched Aiolia and Milo, disgust evident on his dark features. They were making complete and total fools of themselves.

"How come you're not drinking?", Milo asked him.

"I think you and Aiolia are drinking enough for all of us", Shura replied. He looked like he wanted to say more, but was cut off by a pretty girl tugging on his arm. He set his glass down and went to dance with her.

Aiolia smiled at Shura's abandoned glass and called an attendant over. "Could you put some grain alcohol in that, please?"

Milo watched the attendant put alcohol in Shura's soda.

"Won't he notice?", he asked Aiolia.

"Nope. Can't taste grain alcohol", Aiolia replied.

"Funny how out of the three of us that girl picked Shura-though I guess that suits you just fine, huh?", Milo teased, his blue eyes sparkling at Aiolia. He smirked and sipped his drink.

Aiolia gulped the rest of his beer. "Don't start with me."

Shura came back to the table then, his tanned cheeks slightly flushed. Apparently the girl was a good dancer to wind a gold saint at all. Shura picked up his soda glass and drained it in one gulp, asked for another soda, and then went back to dance with the girl some more.

Milo tried not to laugh.

As the night progressed, they no longer needed to have the attendant slip alcohol into Shura's soda when he wasn't looking. After three sodas, they gave Shura a strawberry daqueri, and then they gave him a lemon drop, and they imagined the Capricorn saint was feeling pretty good. Milo wondered what would happen to Shura since they were giving him so many different types of alcohol, but soon he'd drunk too much himself to worry about it.

Quite a few drinks later, the trio realized it was already one in the morning, and time to retire for the evening. Milo gave a lazy wave to the girls who were crowded around him and staggered after Aiolia and Shura into the street.

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Miracle of miracles, the guys soon found themselves back in sanctuary, praying that Athena wasn't watching them. They bid each other good night and headed off at different paces through the temples back towards their own.

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Milo could not move another inch. He collapsed onto cold, hard floors, barely conscious. Vaguely he saw a black-haired figure gazing down at him. The person walked past without touching him and kept going. Milo hazily wondered if he was attacking, except shouldn't he have headed towards the kyoko-sama's chamber instead of away from it? His eyes slipped shut, and he knew no more.

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"Really? Just lying there, sprawled across Libra temple?", Mu asked, rubbing his temples. Why had he come back to sanctuary? He knew he should have stayed in Jamir...

"He went out with Shura and Aiolia this evening and apparently does not know the meaning of responsible drinking."

"I don't know any remedies to cure drunkenness. I've never needed them. I don't drink, and the day I catch Kiki with alcohol...", Mu trailed off. He shut his eyes, showing off his lengthy eyelashes.

"I don't want to deal with a sick Milo in the morning!", Camus practically whined. He thought Mu could fix everything.

"Because we all know Milo is hard enough to deal with when he is not sputtering about like a fish out of water." The new voice was both quiet and powerful.

Shaka of Virgo, blond-haired Buddha reincarnate, came strolling up to them, his knee-length hair trailing him like a shimmering veil. He looked not of the world, just as he always did. One day Camus would figure out how Shaka managed to move around so gracefully when he always had his eyes closed.

"You could draw on him", Kiki suggested.

Mu looked disapprovingly at his student. "Why aren't you asleep?"

Shaka appeared thoughtful. "I have never drawn before..."

In a flash, Kiki had pressed a box of markers into the blond's hands.

"Kiki", Mu said warningly.

"Goodnight, everyone!", Kiki called, zipping off into his bed before Mu got angrier.

Shaka's close-eyed gaze shifted to the box in his hands. A ghost of a smile played across his pretty face.

Mu and Camus shrugged. Even Buddha was entitled to some sort of fun, and Milo deserved it.

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"AUGGH!", Aiolia screamed at the top of his lungs. He was lying with his face pressed against the cheek of a face on the floor. He jumped up, his green eyes wide with panic.

"I knew I smelled a lion...", the voice of Deathmask of Cancer reached his ears.

Aiolia chanced a peek over at Deathmask.

He looked angry-not a good sign.

"Good morning, Deathmask", Aiolia said.

Deathmask smiled wickedly and put his arm around Aiolia's shoulders. "I'm sure you must be hungry after drinking all night long."

The last thing Aiolia wanted was to eat poisoned food. "Ummm...no. I think I'm alright. I'll just go back to my temple-"

"Nonsense. I won't take no for an answer."

"Really, I'm not hungry, Deathmask", the Leo saint protested.

Deathmask just kept a hold on him and guided him into the kitchen.

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Shura smelled roses. That was odd...he didn't have roses in his temple. Slowly he pried his eyes open. His gaze was met by blue eyes set in a stunningly beautiful face. His first thought was he'd been given more to drink than he thought and had taken the girl he'd been dancing with back to Sanctuary with him. Then he realized the girl wasn't a girl at all, but a young man. He'd wound up in the personal sleeping chamber of Pisces Aphrodite.

"What are you doing here?", Aphrodite demanded in a voice that sounded both sweet and confused. He stood before Shura in pink pajamas, his hands on his slim hips.

"I...don't...know", Shura whispered.

"Well, you're just in time", Aphrodite said, with dangerous sweetness. "I was looking for someone to try my new makeup on."

"That's nice, but I really have to get going..."

Shura turned to go, but was soon shocked as Aphrodite knocked and pinned him to the ground. Aphrodite was surprisingly strong-much, much stronger than his feminine appearance suggested. Shura's only sure-fire escape was Excalibur, but he didn't want to hurt Aphrodite. No. He'd probably torture someone he found sleeping in his bedroom, too.

He struggled helplessly as the makeup came down on him.

He could think of two people he **_did_** want to hurt.

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"Shura...Aiolia? What happened to you?", Milo asked. He seemed oblivious to the fact that he had seven different marker colors on his face.

"I'm going to kill you both, and then I am never speaking to either one of you again!", Shura huffed. Aphrodite had gone all-out on him. Lipstick, sparkly eye shadow, mascara, blush, perfume, and bows now adorned the Capricorn saint.

Aiolia, usually so brave, just kept shaking. He opened his mouth, got out a single word-cannibal- and then closed his mouth and shook his head, refusing to say anything else.

"So, what have you learned about drinking?", Shaka asked pleasantly.

"Don't do it", Aiolia moaned.

"Don't go out with them-" Shura pointed at Milo and Aiolia "and expect to remain sober".

"Milo? What'd you learn?", Camus asked.

Milo was gazing at his face in a mirror Aphrodite had handed him.

"Your friends will drawn on you while you sleep if you're drunk", he replied.

Everyone sweat dropped.

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A/N: So after Dohko's and Shion's, I bring something with more humor to the collection. I hope you enjoyed it. Hit the review button, please.


	4. Shooting Stars

A/N: And this is story 5 of 13 for the Birthday Collection...Yipe. This is Aiolos's story...It's also my favorite one so far. Enjoy!

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There were two things Aiolos of Sagittarius hated. The first was being cold. This, unfortunately, was unavoidable, as it was nearly December. Biting cold made him shiver and long for warmer days where he could run around in the sun. The second thing he hated was seeing people miserable, especially his friends, and boy, was Shura ever miserable. Aiolos had been in Capricorn Temple for over two hours tending to his sick best friend, but Shura's fever was refusing to budge. Finally Aiolos left him alone for a little while so he could get some sleep. It was rare for a gold saint to get sick, but when they did, the illness knocked them down for a few days.

Aiolos contemplated going back to his temple and staying there for a few hours until he could go back and see how Shura was doing, but found that to be rather boring. He didn't want to be alone. Unfortunately, other than Shura, there weren't too many Saints in the Sanctuary. Kyoko-sama had told the five of them that by the end of next year all the prospective gold saints would be five, and therefore ready to occupy their respective temples. Aiolos was very excited, too-his own younger brother, Aiolia, would occupy Leo Temple. Aiolos wondered what the new young saints would be like, particularly the Scorpio saint, as he would be his new neighbor. Besides his own brother, the only other trainee Aiolos had seen was Kyoko-sama's own student, Mu. Mu had seemed like a very shy, quiet boy, but Saga, the Gemini saint, thought the shyness would go away once Mu had regular interaction with children his own age.

Speaking of Saga...

The Gemini saint was walking by himself, his head lowered towards the ground. He was carrying a book in his arms.

Aiolos hurried to catch up with him. Saga was the closest to his own age-twelve, while Aiolos was eleven, and a complete mystery. Well, that would change, Aiolos decided. After all, the day was his birthday, and he'd be damned if he let Saga deny him his company.

Saga glanced at Aiolos curiously. He had the kindest eyes Aiolos had ever seen before, blueish-green set in a pale face. There was something about his features that looked lost. Aiolos was taken aback.

"What do you want?", Saga asked him finally.

Aiolos feigned a hurt look. "It's my birthday today..." he said slowly.

Saga's eyes widened. "Oh. Happy Birthday...", he murmured awkwardly.

Aiolos grinned. "What have you got there?"

Saga showed him a book of stories by Edgar Allen Poe. Dark, depressing stuff. Somehow, Aiolos was not at all surprised.

"Where were you going with that?", the Sagittarius saint persisted.

Saga sighed. "Please, I don't want to sound rude, but I really wish to be left alone."

Aiolos's bright smile faltered a bit. "Oh, I see. You're a loner."

"No, it's not that it's just..." Saga gazed at the ground again. "I was sneaking off to see my brother, all right!?"

Aiolos shrugged. Saga acted like he was doing something terrible. He himself left the grounds to visit his own brother. "I didn't know you had a brother."

"We're twins..." Saga looked uncomfortable, so Aiolos didn't push anymore.

The Sagittarius and Gemini saints walked together for a few minutes, then Aiolos turned to leave Saga alone so he could visit his brother in peace. Saga, however, surprised him.

"Wait, Aiolos", he called. His cheeks flushed. He seemed embarrassed. "Come with me...You can meet my brother."

"Are you sure?", Aiolos asked.

Saga nodded. He looked uneasy-Aiolos has the feeling that Saga didn't want to be alone with his brother for some reason.

"Ok..." He fell into step with the Gemini saint once more.

They walked until they spotted a boy with long blue hair. As they got closer to the boy, Aiolos saw he and Saga were identical down to the last strand of hair. It'd be too easy for the boys to swap places without Kyoko-sama noticing.

"Hello, Kanon", Saga said in a soft, barely audible voice, his gaze going to the floor one more.

The boy, Kanon, glared at Aiolos, dislike evident in his blue-green eyes. "What'd you bring _him_ for, Saga!?"

"I'm sorry", Saga replied, in a tone that suggested he wasn't sorry at all.

"I thought we were going to leave together!", Kanon cried, completely ignoring the fact that Aiolos was there. Probably he hoped Aiolos would tell Kyoko-sama what he saw and get Saga kicked out of Sanctuary.

Saga shook his head. "No, Kanon. I have duties here. I will not leave the Sanctuary. My job is to protect Athena."

Kanon's hands balled into fists of rage. Without warning, he lunged forward, hooking Saga's jaw with such force his twin fell to the ground, his hand pressed against his face. He ran off.

"Kanon!", Saga screamed after his brother, tears in his eyes.

Aiolos shook off his shock and knelt down beside Saga, feeling sick at what he'd just witnessed. "Are you alright?"

"This is why I didn't want to be alone with him. He's unpredictable", Saga murmured, ignoring Aiolos's question.

"He had no right to punch you...", Aiolos said. He still couldn't believe what he'd seen. He couldn't imagine ever striking Aiolia for anything, let alone hitting his brother so hard to knock him to the floor and make him bleed. Saga's cheek was swelling rapidly, and Aiolos could see the start of a nasty bruise at the side of his chin.

"He's done worse...", Saga whispered, standing up and wiping blood from his mouth.

Saga's blue-green eyes were so full of grief Aiolos himself felt like crying, but the last thing he wanted to do was push the Gemini saint deeper into a pity party.

"He wasn't always like that", Saga continued. "Something about me being picked over him for the Gemini saint set him off..."

Aiolos picked Saga's book up off the ground and handed it to him. "Let's get some cold water on that cheek of yours."

"You sound like a mother", Saga muttered.

"Nope. Just an older brother." Aiolos gave him a bright smile and brushed his dark brown bangs out his eyes.

Saga smiled back, granted very slightly. "So, what do you usually do on your birthdays? Surely hanging out with anti-social misfits isn't your norm."

Aiolos ran the words "antisocial misfits" around in his mind. "I don't find you a misfit or antisocial. You're just quiet. I usually hang out with Shura..." Aiolos's eyes widened. "Oh, no! I totally forgot about him!"

Saga gave him a questioning glance.

"Shura's sick. I left him to rest, but I was supposed to go check on him!"

"Oh..."

Aiolos slung his arm around Saga's shoulders. "You come with me. If Shura's feeling better the three of us can do something together."

"I don't want to get in your way...", Saga muttered. Aiolos caught in his voice a hint of wistfulness and realized the Gemini saint was probably very lonely.

"Nonsense", Aiolos replied.

He guided Saga towards one of the wells they used to pump water from and tore a strip off the bottom of his shirt. The water flowed out, ice cold, over the Sagittarius saint's hands and on the scrap of cloth. Shaking out his freezing hands, he offered the cloth to Saga. "Press that on your cheek otherwise you're going to look like someone stuck a marshmallow under your skin."

Saga gazed at him, his eyes shining with gratitude. He didn't say anything-he didn't need to.

The two boys then headed back through the temples, towards Shura's. It was a little depressing to walk through so many empty temples. With Saga walking beside Aiolos, Angelo of Cancer out, probably torturing the poor Pisces saint, and Dohko, the Libra saint in China, all of the temples leading up to Capricorn temple were empty.

Keeping quiet, in case the younger boy was sleeping, Saga and Aiolos crept into Shura's bedroom.

"Shura", Aiolos called, loudly enough that Shura would hear him if he was awake, but not loud enough to wake him up if he was asleep.

Aiolos heard scraping in the dark and then Shura's oil lamp bathed the small sleeping chamber in an eerie light. Shura's olive complexion, paled from his illness, looked yellow under the wan lighting.

Aiolos crept closer to his friend's bed. "How are you feeling?"

"Not so good..." Shura peered blearily through the dark. "Saga, is that you?"

Aiolos grinned back at Saga. "Yeah, here's here. We had quite an interesting evening."

"You need to stop wearing ripped clothes...we represent Athena", Shura scolded Aiolos softly.

"Ah, well. They're comfortable." Aiolos shrugged.

"I see...I'd like to go outside. It's so warm in here"

"You're going to be the death of me, Shura", Aiolos teased. "It's freezing outside."

"Good. It feels like a furnace in here."

Aiolos frowned. "That doesn't sound good. That suggests your fever went up."

Shura shrugged and climbed out of bed, wrapping his blanket around himself and grabbing his pillow. "If you need me, I will be sleeping outside."

Aiolos laughed. "Why don't we all stay outside? It'll be like camping."

"I think I'll pass", Saga said softly.

"Aw, come on, Saga. It'll be fun. Surely you must get bored by yourself all the time", Shura said.

Saga sighed, looking from one dark-haired boy to the other, and agreed to spend the night with them.

The trio passed back through the temples, stopping briefly in Sagittarius, where Aiolos packed up the stuff to make hot chocolate and grabbed his own blanket and pillow, and in Gemini, so Saga could grab his things.

A few minutes later, the three sat around a small fire outside. Aiolos boiled water in a kettle to pour into three clay cups that held powdered cocoa mix.

"What we need", he said. "Is some entertainment. A good story."

His eyes drifted over to Saga, who was still holding his book in his hands. "You look like you have some scary ones there."

Saga smiled at them, what Aiolos felt was his first true smile of the evening. "Well, I COULD read you the Pit and the Pendulum."

Aiolos poured the water into the mugs and handed out the hot chocolate. "That sounds creepy."

Saga opened his book and began to read to the younger boys in a low, spooky voice. Aiolos was awe-struck.

Shura fell asleep before Saga finished reading, but Aiolos was wide-awake at the end of the tale. He stared at Saga, his emerald eyes huge. He thought his heart would never stop racing. "Wow."

Saga smiled again-Aiolos decided that he rather liked Saga's smile. "Pretty creepy, huh?"

"Yeah. That was intense", Aiolos agreed. "Oh! Saga, look! A shooting star!"

The older boy gazed up to where Aiolos was pointing. "You don't see those every night."

"Make a wish!", Aiolos said cheerfully. He closed his eyes.

Aiolos had no idea if Saga made a wish that night or not, but it didn't matter. Aiolos had two wishes of his own, both of them involving Saga.

His first wish was that whatever conflict Saga and Kanon had was resolved.

His second was that the night he shared with Saga and Shura would not be the last one they spent together.

His friends had made what could have been a lonely day a very happy birthday indeed.


	5. Guilty Treasures

A/N: Erm...not much to say. This was a hard one...

Thanks, Maddery, for clearing up the spelling...I have fixed it. ;;;

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Shura of Capricorn had a secret. It wasn't a scandalous secret, but it was still one he wasn't comfortable with other people knowing. A small wooden box was hidden under his bed. Every year on his birthday he took the box out and surveyed the contents. He would pick up each item, remember a certain time, and either laugh or cry, depending on the item in his hand. This year was no exception.

Shura got on his hands and knees and carefully edged the box out from under his bed. It wasn't the best made box in the world-eight-year-old children usually were poor craft makers-but it still had four sides, a bottom, and a lid. As gently as if the box was a sleeping child, he eased the lid off and reached inside to draw out the contents.

There weren't too many things in the box-a wilted, long dried-out rose back from the days before Aphrodite had become vain-he remembered the Pisces Saint coming up to him, blushing, and presenting him with the thing, then running away. He'd been seven, Aphrodite had been six. He had the teddy bear he'd taken with him to the Sanctuary when he first started his training as a Saint. Then there was a book on Greek mythology Saga had given to him to signify the start of their somewhat shaky friendship. More precious than those keepsakes where the things from him.

Aiolos, the Sagittarius Saint, had been a peculiar boy. His dark brown hair was always messy and his clothes forever full of holes. He constantly had a smile on his face and a sparkle in his green eyes. For some reason, his pale skin never tanned, even though Aiolos had always been outside in the sun. He'd been Shura's next door neighbor for five years. He'd also been his best friend.

Shura felt guilty looking at the things the traitor of Sanctuary had given him. He felt as though he was a traitor himself for missing Aiolos-yet he knew as guilty as he felt, he'd feel a thousand times worse if he tried to forget about Aiolos. He firmly believed only a monster could spend five years living next door to someone, befriend them, and then see to the end of their life without remorse. No. He would keep his memories.

Shura's frown curved into a smile as he located a small metal object at the bottom of the box-a jack. Aiolos had given him the game many years ago, along with some other weird toys. Aiolos had given him a yoyo and a paddle ball, which had been taken out of the box and placed on the floor, and a wooden airplane. Sadly, the airplane had broken when it had taken a wayward flight into some rocks and smashed into bits. It was a pity, too. Shura had quite liked the plane.

The Capricorn Saint swiped tears from his dark eyes and sighed. He picked up the paddle ball and the the yoyo and sat on the floor with them in his lap. He shut his eyes and recalled Aiolos playing with them. That had been an interesting day...

"_What are we supposed to do with these things?", Shura asked, staring at the wooden objects in Aiolos's hands._

_Aiolos grinned jovially and held up the wooden paddle ball. _

"_I think you're supposed to hit the ball with the stick."_

"_You'll wind up hitting your eye out", a soft voice said._

"_Saga!", Aiolos cried. _

_Saga smiled ever-so-slightly. _

"_Happy Birthday, Shura."_

_Shura returned his slight smile with one of his own._

"_Thank you."_

"_You're just in time, Saga. I was about to show Shura how to use the paddle ball."_

"_The only thing he's going to teach you is how to lose your left eye", Saga whispered to Shura._

"_I heard that", Aiolos said, his smile never leaving his face._

_Saga and Shura stood side-by-side and watched as Aiolos picked up the wooden paddle ball and flicked his wrist, sending the ball and string into the air. The Sagittarius Saint caught the ball on the paddle and flicked it up again..._

"_You were wrong, Saga...", Aiolos murmured. He'd dropped the paddle ball and was clutching his right eye._

"_It was not my left eye, and I didn't lose it"_

"_I actually said Shura was going to lose his left eye...I didn't specify an eye for you to lose because knowing you, you'd make us lose our eyes and keep yours."_

"_I don't want to lose my left eye...", Shura whispered, staring at the two older boys with wild eyes._

_Aiolos smiled at Shura. "No one is going to lose their eyes-just get them slightly poked out."_

_Shura was not impressed._

"_Ok, so maybe paddle ball's not my thing...maybe I will do better with the yoyo."_

"_Shura, you'd better get Kyoko-Sama...Aiolos is going to get a concussion.", Saga commented. _

"_You have such high faith in me...", Aiolos replied offhandedly. _

_Two hours later, Aiolos bore enough cuts and bruises to fool Kyoko-Sama into thinking he'd been training very hard._

"_You are absolutely filthy", Shura murmured._

_Aiolos, dirt-covered and slightly bloody, held out his arms. _

"_Give me a hug, Shura!"_

"_Ew, no! Stay away from me!"_

_Shura stared at his best friend in horror. Aiolos might as well have rolled around in the mud, as Saga was quick to point out._

_Laughing like a lunatic, Aiolos chased Shura around for about twenty minutes, trying to smear his dirt on the Capricorn Saint._

Saga, if Shura remembered clearly, had watched Aiolos chase him, but had offered no help, and had waved Kyoko-Sama and the younger boys past. He remembered the shocked looks on the new Saints' faces, and Milo calling them weird, and Aiolia...

Shura came out of his fantasy world. Aiolia had defended his beloved big brother, telling Milo to be quiet. No one had suffered the loss of Aiolos as badly as Aiolia had.

Aiolia would never know just how much Aiolos's death had pained him, because the discussion was not one he would dream of raising with Aiolia-quick-tempered, emotional Aiolia, who was not afraid to show his emotions. Shura envied him, in a weird way. Shura would never feel comfortable showing his emotions, wearing his heart on his sleeve for all the world to see. He didn't feel as though he deserved sympathy for what he'd gone through, especially when none had been given to the person he needed sympathy the most. He didn't expect anyone to show kindness towards him-quite frankly, he would have been shocked if they did.

He'd always, even as a child, endured his pain by himself. Never had he complained, and if he did mention something that bothered him, he was quick to follow up with something that could make the complaint better. There was always a solution...except now. But he wouldn't allow himself to complain. It seemed silly, and he knew no one would really care to listen to him anyway.

The sound of footsteps coming made him straighten up and hastily wipe tears from his eyes. He would not allow an intruder to see him in tears.

The door to his person chamber swung open and Shura winced as a pair of mud-covered boots met his gaze. The Capricorn Saint leapt to his feet. He wasn't being attacked, but his poor, sterile temple was going to need re-cleaning.

"Haven't you learned-"

"That it is unmannerly to go traipsing through the homes of others unannounced? Shaka's told me", his visitor replied, walking towards him with heavy steps, smearing more mud on the floor.

Shura closed his eyes-the fact that a muddy floor bothered him after dealing with Aiolos for five years may have seemed strange, but he'd always been a little obsessive-compulsive. Living a life in which he had virtually no power over, the cleanliness and order of his temple was the only aspect he had control over. As he got older, the problem just got worse and worse. He hated when anything took away that little bit of control away from him.

"What is all this stuff?", his visitor asked. "This has got to be the messiest I've ever seen your place."

Shura bit back the urge to tell him that most of the mess was his.

"What brings you by here, Aiolia?"

The Leo Saint shrugged his broad shoulders and knelt down to survey the toys scattered about the floor.

Shura sighed-one bad aspect of Aiolia's personality was his edginess. Though he thankfully had calmed down in the past few years, he still had this "I don't give a damn" attitude about him.

"Alright", Aiolia replied to Shura's sigh. "Kyoko-Sama sent me here to tell you there's a meeting later tonight."

Shura sensed Aiolia was just as lonely as he was. Aiolia had been out casted by most of the others in Sanctuary for being the traitor's brother. Though things were improving, the wounds were still there. A child, hovering on the brink of manhood at seventeen years of age, stared at Shura with defiant green eyes-eyes so much like Aiolos's, and yet, so different.

"I guess I'll just be going then..." Aiolia stood and stretched as though he didn't care.

"You don't have to go if you don't want to...", Shura told him.

"Why would you want me around? I'm the little brother of Sanctuary's biggest traitor", Aiolia spat.

Shura was not taken-aback by the venom of Aiolia's words.

"You're the little brother and I'm the best friend. What a pair we make."

Aiolia's gaze did not soften.

"You're the one who killed him-People trust you."

Shura swallowed hard.

"Actually, quite the opposite is true, Aiolia. People don't take kindly to those who willingly murder their closest friends, order or no."

Shura kept to himself the horrible truth-he'd been the indirect cause of Aiolos's death, but he had not directly killed him. True, Excalibur had killed Aiolos, but Shura had been trying to wound Aiolos enough to take him back to Sanctuary, not kill him. It had been Aiolos who refused to go back to Sanctuary alive and had flung himself into Excalibur. To this day, ten days later, only Shura knew what had really happened. He was still responsible for the death of his best friend-who cared if Aiolos had flung himself at the attack, it'd still been his attack that killed him...

"You're crying, Shura"

Aiolia's voice pulled him from his anguished thoughts. The kid stared at him, his gaze softened.

Shura hastily wiped the tears away.

"I have no reason to cry", he replied.

"You lie like a rug", Aiolia answered back.

"Rugs don't lie, they lay. You don't lie a rug down, you lay it down", Shura told him.

He retreated into his bathroom and came back with a mop and bucket, cleaning the mud off the floor.

"Yike...don't mope ME!", Aiolia screamed as Shura ran the mop over his filthy boots.

"Your boots are DIRTIER than the floor", Shura retorted, wringing out the mop.

The kid shook his head.

"And you were best friends with my brother...how did you guys not kill each other?"

"I stayed out of his temple as much as possible"

Aiolia picked up the paddle ball and absently started playing with it. Shura tried not to laugh when Aiolia smacked himself in the face with it.

Aiolia gave him a sheepish smile.

For the second time that evening, Shura heard footsteps, this time it was Camus and Aphrodite, heading for the meeting.

"I guess it's time to leave", he said, pulling Aiolia to his feet.

"I guess so", Aiolia replied.

Shura replaced the items in his box and replaced it under his bed until next year.

"Don't worry. Your secret's safe with me", Aiolia told him.

"Thank you", Shura replied.

The two young men walked in silence to their meeting. As they did, Shura swore Aiolos was watching them, smiling at him. Shura smiled, too. Yes, his memories of Aiolos left him guilty, but they were his treasures. And guilty treasures were still treasures.

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Yes, I made a boo-boo. Shura's b-day was actually last week, on the 12th, but I mixed up Shaka and Shura's days, and so I had Shura down for Jan. 19th and Shaka for Sept 12th, when it is actually the other way around. ;;; I didn't forget Shura's b-day, I just thought it was later than it was. Sorry for the mistake. Anyhow, Camus is next-he's Feb 7th. Until then, enjoy this chapter. A review would be nice. I am going to be updating All I Want for Christmas is You later tonight, and I may post a little Rhad/Pan one shot I wrote, depending if it passes my sister's inspection or not. The next chapter of The Week will be posted Tuesday, along with a fic for Hyoga's birthday, as written for a request. I am very sorry for the delays in my updates, but I have been very sick as of late, and am still recovering from the illness. I thank you all for your patience. That is all.


	6. Siberian Nights

A/N: Happy Birthday, Camus! Goodness, how time flies. I remember I started counting these things down since I wrote Aiolos's, because Camus's would be the last one I posted before the anime convention. I will be dressing up as Pandora, and will provide links to pictures for anyone who cares. Anyhow, I wrote this story in the same style I wrote Hyoga's because I want to know if it's the style that sucks, or if people just don't like Hyoga. The only person who reviewed Hyoga's birthday fic was my own "sister", and I want to know why that was...Anyhow, I have babbled long enough. Enjoy. Please leave an honest review. Thanks!

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Camus of Aquarius had never liked his birthdays. For him, birthdays were days when the other saints, particularly Milo of Scorpio, hos own best friend, played tricks on him. Milo's most memorable birthday prank had involved Camus waking up to find fifty living scorpions crawling all over him. When the poor Aquarius saint had tried to get out of bed, he'd slipped in a pool of Shaka's herbal toothpaste, conveniently placed around his bed like a moat. After slipping and sliding for about five minutes he got himself straightened up and had marched to his bathroom to clean himself up before going to confront Milo. There he'd found his basin covered in little hearts and stars, drawn quite beautifully in pale pink lipstick. No, he did not like his birthdays at all.

"Sensei, when is your birthday?", Hyoga had asked quite innocently as they finished up their dinner one night.

Camus had glanced at the child, whos blue eyes were half-hidden beneath a mop of wavy blond hair.

"Why do you want to know?", he asked calmly.

"It just seems weird that we're living with you and you know our birthdays, but we don't know yours", Hyoga replied.

This was true, of course. Camus had given Hyoga a small party a little over a week before, and was planning one for Issac on the 17th. He'd also made a note to combine their birthdays next year.

"I'm your teacher. You're my students. You don't need to know my birthday."

"What if we wanted to do something for you, Sensei?", Issac asked. Camus noticed the green-haired child had yet again shoved all his vegetables to one side of his plate and had left his milk untouched.

"Eat your vegetables and finish your milk", Camus said, ignoring the child's question.

He removed his and Hyoga's plates and glasses from the table and set them in a pot full of warm water on their wood stove.

"Oopps...", Issac stared at the glass of milk he'd "accidentally" knocked over. Camus knew it was intentional because all of the milk was on the floor and none of it was on the table.

Camus snatched up the glass and glared at the child. Issac was so willful... Wordlessly, Camus handed him a mop and set him to work cleaning the floor. Nights like this, when Hyoga asked weird questions and Issac defied him, made him feel like their father figure.

Issac mopped up the mess wordlessly. After he finished, he repeated his earlier question.

"What if we wanted to do something for you, Sensei?"

"If you have time to plan parties, you're not being trained hard enough and need to spend your time doing more productive things-like building your cold tolerance by running two hundred laps around the hut with your coat off."

He hadn't been serious, of course, but Issac had taken him seriously. The boy dashed out of the hut with no coat on and Camus had had to run outside and retrieve him. Fortunately, nearly freezing to death had made Issac drop the subject of his birthday.

Or so he had thought.

Imagine his shock when he was awoken by the sound of Hyoga's voice late at night on February 6th. Camus peered at his clock-as a general rule, everyone was in bed by eight-thirty, since they started their training at four. It was past ten. Where were the kids going?

Camus slowly pushed back his wool blanket and eased himself off his cot. Common sense told him to grab Hyoga and Issac, drag them back to their cots, and put an end to their nocturnal excursion once and for all. Curiosity wanted to see why the kids were up and about. Curiosity won out and Camus followed the children as quietly as he could.

"I don't think Camus-sensei is going to like this..." Hyoga whispered. "He doesn't seem like someone who would like a surprise party."

Ah, he'd always known Hyoga was a bright child.

"Milo-san said Camus-sensei never had a real birthday party, surprise or otherwise. He can't know if he'll like something he never had before."

Issac apparently was not as bright. If Milo was in on this scheme, it was probably not a welcome one.

"I don't know about this...", Hyoga murmured.

"Don't worry about it. We'll be fine. If Camus-sensei gets mad, I'll take the blame", Issac said in a way that reminded Camus of Milo when they'd been young kids, trying to convince Camus to break the rules with him.

Camus followed the boys outside. A fourteen-year-old boy, heavily bundled up, stood waiting for them. The only way Camus knew this was Milo was a few stray curls of his blue hair poled out from his millions of layers of clothing.

"We've got to hurry, Milo-san. Camus-sense usually gets up at three", Hyoga's voice betrayed how nervous he was of getting caught.

Camus saw Milo's eyes flicker in his direction and realized his friend knew he was there, even though his students did not.

"Don't worry about it, Hyoga. Camus will automatically blame me for talking you guys into this when he seems me."

Camus knew his friend was smiling.

"But, Milo-san-"

"Issac, why don't you get those boxes for me? Here, Hyoga. Bring this ice cream inside-or should we leave it out here? I'm sure it's colder out here than in a freezer."

The kids laughed and Camus disappeared out of sight. He went back to his cot and prepared himself to act surprised when they came to get him. He wasn't sure why he was allowing this to continue. He yawned, exhausted, and despite his suspicions that his house would be blown up, drifted back to sleep.

"Sensei. Wake up, Sensei."

Camus peeled his eyes open and saw two pairs of eyes, one blue, one green, gazing at him. His students had nervous looks on their faces. Milo stood off to the side, smiling at him.

"Come on, Sensei!", Issac said eagerly, grabbing his wrist and pulling him off the bed.

Hyoga grabbed his other hand somewhat shyly. with Milo leading the way, Camus was guided into their tiny kitchen area. There on the table was a cake and a couple pinks of ice cream. Streamers hung from the low ceiling, and a banner proclaimed "Happy Birthday, Camus!"

Camus stared, real shock going through him. He had not expected this. He glanced at his students, who were still smiling nervously, and Milo, who was still grinning like an idiot.

"I-don't know what to say", he finally said.

"Thank you would be a good start", Milo offered.

"Thank you", Camus said,

Milo turned to the kids.

"Do you guys want to go get Camus his gift?"

"Hai, Milo-san", Hyoga replied.

They bounded off together and returned a few moments later. Hyoga held a small gold box in his hands.

"This is from all of us, though Hyoga picked it out. Issac and I thought it was very nice, right?"

The boys nodded and Hyoga placed the small box in Camus's hands.

Camus took it curiously, wondering if it was going to explode. Slowly he eased the lid off. Inside lay a handsome gold cross on a thick golden chain.

Hyoga smiled at him.

"It's like the cross my mama gave me. So when you wear it, you can remember you have people who care about you, Sensei, just as my cross reminds me how much my mama loved me."

Camus nodded, fighting the urge to cry. He hugged both of the children.

"Thank you", he said. Then, with a glance at Milo, he added "ALL of you."

Milo was able to sense his best friend's discomfort.

"Alright boys. Let's have that cake", he said, a bright smile on his face.

Milo placed sixteen candles on the cake and pushed it in front of Camus.

"Um, Milo. There should only be fifteen candles, not sixteen...", Camus said.

"One for good luck", Milo responded.

He lit the candles on Camus's cake, and the three began to sing. Camus had to admit, though only to himself, that it was nice.

Later, after much talking, laughing and games, after Hyoga and Issac had passed out on the floor together, Camus sad sipping a cup of hot chocolate and watched Milo clean the dishes.

"You knew about the party all along, didn't you, Camus? I saw you outside, spying on us", Milo said slowly, but not accusingly. "why'd' you pretend to be surprised? Why'd you let us go through with it?"

"They reminded me of us when we were kids", Camus replied.

Milo nodded.

"I thought that, too. Except Hyoga is far cuter than you where as a child."

Camus chuckled.

"Well, Issac is more obedient than you were as a child. At least he usually does what I tell him."

"Hey, I did what my teachers told me to-usually."

Milo finished the dishes and sat at the table across from Camus with his own cup of hot chocolate.

There was no more conversation between them, just companionable silence, as they sipped hot chocolate and watched the sun come up.

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Camus drew in a sharp breath as Milo's fingers released his throat. He didn't want to return to this consciousness. He shouldn't even be alive!

"Finish killing me, Milo", he thought desperately.

Camus was glad Shaka had taken his sight from him. He knew he wouldn't have been able to bear the look he knew was in his best friend's expressive eyes. The look of anguish mixed with fury. He wished Shaka could have robbed him of his hearing, too. He could hear Milo crying, his breath coming out in short, animalistic gasps. Each sob ripped his heart.

Camus had watched Hyoga fight Issac once before, and that had hurt him. This-this hurt him more than he had ever known possible.

Camus felt something slide down his chest-his cross. Milo must have snapped the chain when he'd been attempting to choke him. Camus closed his sightless eyes, tears leaking down his cheeks.

His nights of peace in Siberia were over. He knew those would never be his again. He just never would have guessed in a million years he would see his goddess die and be choked by his best friend.

He would die again soon, but that didn't matter. It wouldn't undo the damage he'd done. It wouldn't bring back his Siberian nights.


	7. Yellow Roses

A/N: And here's Aphrodite's birthday fic... I really like this one. I've had it done since November, even before Aiolos's was complete. It's up there with my favorites. Not my number one fave, that will come later, but it's up there. Little Aphrodite is so much fun to write 'cause I see him as being kind of like Shun...I've had my suspicions that Aphrodite was actually kind under the vanity since I read the 1st volume of Episode G, and those suspicions where confirmed when I watched episode 25 of Hades-Sanctuary Inferno. Enjoy!

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Aphrodite of Pisces winced as his eyes took in his new cuts and bruises. Angelo of Cancer-he would die before he called his friend "Deathmask"-did not know what it meant to go easy when training. He carefully eased himself out of the bathtub and pulled on a pair of silky white pants and a matching top to sleep in. He was too exhausted to worry about his wet hair and opted to just pull it back into a ponytail. He wandered into into his sleeping chamber. He deserved a nap after being Angelo's punching bag. How had the session been fair? The young man threw back the sheets and slipped between them. He grabbed his little alarm clock and set it to wake him in an hour-they had a meeting with the Kyoko-sama that night. Then he settled down and closed his eyes, Within moments, he was asleep.

Six-year-old Aphrodite sighed as he surveyed his rose garden. Poisonous plants with the purpose of killing anyone who somehow made it past him. A mute point since anyone who made it to him would have had to pass Saga and Angelo, and if somehow they had survived that, they would have had to passed Aiolos and Shura-which was pretty much impossible.

He hadn't seen a normal flower in nearly a year-since a few days after his fifth birthday when he was brought to the Sanctuary to start his training as a saint-but back in Sweden his mother had had the most beautiful rose gardens. She would sit with him on her lap and tell him what the different roses meant- the language of flowers, she called it. He would smell her sweet perfume and drift off to sleep. He was safe in his mother's arms.

"_Mother, why do you have so many yellow roses?", Aphrodite asked._

_She'd smiled, her strikingly beautiful features glowing at him._

"_Don't they make you feel happy, Dite?"_

_Aphrodite wrinkled his nose at her nickname for him._

"_The white ones look nicer."_

"_That may be so, but nothing's as bright as a yellow rose. You see, Dite, yellow roses are the symbol of friendship. When you have people you care about-not just friends, but your family, too-even the toughest tasks seem easier because you have someone to fall back on."_

"_Oh", he replied._

_His mother's smile grew even brighter and she brushed his shoulder-grazing locks away from his eyes. _

"_Are you ready to go in now?"_

_Aphrodite nodded and took his mother's hand, allowing her to lead him away. As she guided him back to their house, he kept looking at the yellow roses. People he cared about..._

So here he was on his birthday, spending it by himself in the company of roses that would poison him if he touched them. He shut his eyes, wishing the whole situation would go away.

"Well, well, well...", a loud voice called, pulling him from his thoughts.

Aphrodite turned and found himself face-to-face with Angelo of Cancer.

"I still say you look like a girl", Angelo said, walking over towards him.

"And I still say you smell like a baboon. Showers after training will not kill you", Aphrodite retorted.

"How come you skipped training today?", Angelo asked.

Aphrodite inwardly sighed. Of course his absence would have been noticed. There were only five kids in the Sanctuary-he, Angelo, and Shura always trained together, while Saga and Aiolos, who were older, had their own separate session.

He shrugged.

"Didn't feel like it."

Angelo nodded, apparently finding that acceptable.

"Sheesh...what's up with this place?", Angelo questioned.

"We can't all live in dark dungeons".

Angelo glanced around Pisces temple, looking both awed and disgusted.

"I have never seen a boy decorate like this before."

"When you have something useful to say, I'll be listening", Aphrodite turned his attention back to his roses.

Angelo looked at him, as thought embarrassed. He finally sighed and left.

Aphrodite paid Angelo no mind as the Cancer saint left. A wistful smile crossed his face as he recalled yet another day out with his mother. He would have to ask Kyoko-Sama if he could visit her...

"_Mother", Aphrodite asked, wiping his fingers on a napkin to get the chocolate off them. "Why do you like spending so much time outside?"_

_He sat across from his mother at a small white table amid the snow-covered garden. They were eating cookies-well, he was eating cookies, she was watching him-and sipping hot chocolate. He was freezing. _

_His mother's lips formed a frown._

"_You don't like it out here?"_

_Aphrodite glanced down at his plate._

"_It's just it's kind of cold out here, Mother..."_

_His mother reached across the table and straightened his hat._

"_Enjoy it, Sweetie. It won't last forever. Dite, do me a favor and get me one of those red roses off the bush, please."_

_Dutifully, the little boy did as he was asked. He carefully plucked the biggest, most beautiful blossom off the bush and brought it over to his mother._

"_Look closely, Dite. The flower is very pretty, isn't it?"_

"_Yes, mother", he replied._

"_But it is frozen", his mother curled her delicate hand around the flower, smashing it to bits._

_Aphrodite gasped at seeing such a beautiful thing smashed to a million pieces._

"_Frozen things, be they plants or a person's heart, can not survive, Dite. A frozen flower, though beautiful to look at, has lost its ability to thrive. A person with a frozen heart may have a lovely face, but they have no essence left that makes them human."_

"_Essence that makes them human?", he'd asked. He was a very bright child, but he was still only four years old._

"_You'll understand one day when you're a little older, Dite", she replied, her eyes sad, as though something bothered her. _

Of course now he understood what she'd meant. She'd been warning him against letting his heart grow so cold he could no longer appreciate the beauty that was around him. She'd known all along that he would become a gold saint.

"Still sulking, I see"

Angelo was back, Aphrodite thought dully.

"If you look at them long enough, those flowers might get up and dance", Angelo said.

Aphrodite turned to face Angelo.

"Here", Angelo added. "I don't usually make it a point to give other boys flowers, so I'll pretend you're a girl..."

Angelo pressed a silver bowl into Aphrodite's pale hands. Roses. The bowl was overflowing with yellow roses. The scent touched a part of his heart he was frightened had withered up and died, making it come to life with new-found vibrancy. As he inhaled, he caught a whiff of something sweet and familiar, something that suspiciously smelled like perfume...

"Where did you get these?", Aphrodite asked, struggling not to cry.

"I think Sweden...I'm not sure. Where ever I managed to teleport to, there was this giant rose garden. Fields and fields of them. So I grabbed a bunch and brought them back. I remembered today was your birthday...", Angelo spoke candidly, there was no embarrassment in his voice.

The dam burst and Aphrodite felt his tears come out. He rushed forward and gave the older boy a hug, splashing rose-scented water all over them. He was sure Angelo had taken the flowers from his mother's garden.

"Woah!", Angelo gasped. "Just because you look like a girl doesn't mean you have to act like one!"

Aphrodite pulled away and faced Angelo.

"You took these flowers from my mother's garden, I'm sure of it. I can smell her perfume on the buds", he whispered.

Angelo paled. It was obvious he thought Aphrodite was angry with him.

Aphrodite smiled.

"It's just what I needed", he continued. "Thank you."

Angelo smiled.

"Since you're not mad at me, I'll confess that I stole a plate of cookies from her, too. They looked so good."

"You stole her cookies, too?", Aphrodite stared at Angelo. "What are you? A kleptomaniac?"

"Sorry, I speak Italian and Greek, not gibberish", Angelo replied.

"A kleptomaniac is a person who compulsively steals"

"Ohhhh...", Angelo said, grinning obnoxiously at Aphrodite. "I guess that means you don't want to come back to Cancer temple and eat them with me?"

Aphrodite's eyes grew as wide as saucers.

"Are you crazy? Of course I do!"

Angelo threw his arm around Aphrodite's shoulders.

"That's what I thought"

The two boys walked back to Cancer temple and took seats at Angelo's small table. The temple was dark, but it wasn't dungeon-like. Still, it was a sharp contrast to the bright and sunny quality of the house of Pisces.

Angelo set a plate of chocolate chip cookies between them and they each grabbed one.

"Your mother is one hell of a cook", Angelo commented. "Did she by any chance pass the talent on to you?"

"She might have", Aphrodite said, knowing full well she had.

"Good. You can cook dinner for me every night. Somehow I burn everything. And you can train with me everyday."

"And why would I want to do that?", Aphrodite asked.

Angelo grinned impishly.

"It's in the friends' handbook"

"Why would you want me for a friend?", Aphrodite asked.

"You seem more interesting than Shura", Angelo replied.

A loud, blaring sound cut through the air.

Aphrodite opened his eyes at the sound of his alarm clock going off and rose from his bed as gracefully as someone who had just been roused from sleep could. He turned off his alarm and went to the bathroom to get himself ready for the meeting. He frowned when he caught sight of his appearance in the mirror. His mascara was smudged under his eyes. Apparently he hadn't gotten all of it off when he had taken his bath. He grabbed a few cotton balls and a bottle of baby oil and carefully dabbed away the remnant of his mascara.

Aphrodite eyed his bare reflection in the mirror. He really did look like a girl. He studied his wide-set, baby blue eyes, long blue hair of a similar hue, pale skin. His lips were naturally a soft pink and his hands were small and delicate. He looked almost exactly like a younger replica of his mother. Almost because his mother's hair had been white. He smiled slightly.

He glanced at his watch-he still had a little time before he had to leave. His thoughts went to Angelo.

He knew it seemed odd to anyone that observed them that they would be friends. They had absolutely nothing in common on the surface. Yet they had an understanding between them.

He went back into his room, to his vanity table, and picked through the various perfumes, lotions, moisturizers, and foundation bottles until he found what he was looking for-his tube of passion rose lotion. It reminded him of the perfume his mother wore. After he'd applied the lotion, he spritzed on some body spray in the same fragrance. He re-applied his makeup and got into his cloth. He left his still wet hair in the ponytail he wore because he had no time to fix his waist-length hair. He then left his room and headed for the meeting.

On his way out, something caught his eye. A bouquet of yellow roses in large glass vase sat just outside the entrance way of Pisces temple. Aphrodite picked up the flowers gazed at them. A small white envelope was tucked between the blossoms. He carried the flowers into his temple and set them down on his table. Carefully, he eased the envelope open and lifted out the card.

A note, in Angelo's sloppy hand. It read

"You are eighteen now. Meet me after the meeting and I will take you out for drinks. Manly drinks, not sissy ones with flowers.

-D.M"

All Aphrodite could do was smile.


	8. Pink Pagoda

A/N: Meh, this one's not one of my favorites. Mu's a very hard character for me to write as because he is always so calm and dignified. I don't really like this chapter, but what's done is done. Enjoy.

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Mu of Aries was not one to lose his temper easily. Calm and rational, probably to a fault, he always tried to see through situations with a level head. In the years between his sixteenth birthday and his twentieth-the four-year span of time since he's adopted his student, Kiki-his patience had been tried countless times. Mu can proudly say he has never lost his temper with Kiki, but there had been a series of incidences on his eighteenth birthday that had made him come close.

"Master Mu! Master Mu! Come outside and see what I did!", Kiki called excitedly, rousing Mu from what he felt was well-deserved sleep.

Mu pushed back his blankets and pulled a robe on over the pants he'd been sleeping in. He went outside and stood beside his young student.

"Look, Master!", Kiki said cheerfully. "I painted the pagoda!"

Deep green eyes blinked at the sight of the Pagoda. Mu swallowed hard, drew in a deep breath, and shut his eyes, forcing himself to remain calm.

"It's pink", he said finally, in what sounded to him like a perfectly calm, rational voice. "Kiki, why in the world would you paint the pagoda pink?"

"It matches your hair, Master", the child replied.

Mu looked at his long, light lavender hair. He had to admit Kiki was right and the color was pretty close to his hair color. That brought a new question to the young Aries saint's mind.

"Kiki, why would you want to match the house and my hair color?"

"I thought you would like it. I wanted to surprise you." Kiki looked at his feet. "You know, for your birthday."

Mu's anger evaporated. At least all Kiki had done was painted their living quarters pink. The year before Kiki had decided to take care of getting dinner and had caught some fish for them to eat. This would not have been a problem-except Kiki had left the fish in Mu's bed.

"Kiki, I appreciate the thought you put into this", Mu chose his words carefully so he wouldn't hurt the young boy's feelings. "But we can not keep the pagoda painted this color."

Kiki stared at his feet.

"We can't?", he asked.

"No, Kiki, We can't. Come on now. Let's go inside and have breakfast. Then we'll have to go into town and get some paint to fix this."

"OK, Master", Kiki replied. He pushed his red bangs off his forehead. As he did so, he smeared some paint that clung to his hand across his face, leaving a lavender streak across his impish features.

"And we're going to have to give you a bath", Mu added.

Mu's eyes traveled over Kiki's paint-covered clothes. He had to admit the kid, while still filthy, had stayed pretty clean for a six-year-old boy.

Both master and student went into the house.

"Kiki, go take a bath while I get breakfast ready-and come right back. No catching fish or hunting birds or picking flowers."

"What about chasing goats?", Kiki asked.

"Kiki", Mu said warningly.

"Yes master. I'll come right back", the child relented.

The child grabbed a change of clothes and a bucket that contained a towel, soap, a wash cloth, and some shampoo and set off.

Mu went to work getting breakfast ready for his young pupil. He'd just finished up when he heard Kiki yelling again.

"MASTER MU!!!!!", the boy hollered.

Mu peeked outside and saw Kiki's wet red hair glistening in the sun. The boy held a wiggling bundle in his arms. Mu groaned inwardly.

"Kiki, what are you doing?", Mu asked.

"Look what I found, Master. Can we keep her?"

Kiki showed Mu a rather ugly-looking puppy. A Lhasa Apso, Mu recognized immediately. The breed of dog was native to Tibet.

"I don't know, Kiki...", Mu bit his lip. Things were crazy enough without having some dog that resembled a bush on legs running around.

"Please, Master", Kiki whined, giving Mu big puppy-dog eyes. "Please...the poor thing will die if we don't take care of her."

Mu sighed.

"Alright, Kiki. I'm not making any promises that she will be a permanent pet, but bring her in. We'll feed her and take care of any wounds she might have."

Kiki seemed content with this. He brought the dog inside and Mu tossed a few scraps of dried meat to the animal.

"Eat your breakfast, Kiki", Mu said, pushing his long hair out of his eyes.

Kiki sat down and started on the breakfast Mu had prepared for him, watching the puppy eat the meat.

Mu wiped his hands on a cloth and took a seat across from his student. A smile crossed his face-he now knew what he put his own master through. While it was true that Mu hadn't been anywhere near as hyper as Kiki-he'd often been referred to as "shy" by the older saints-his sense of wonderment and curiosity had been the same.

"Master, what are you thinking about?", Kiki asked.

"Nothing. Have you finished eating?", Mu replied.

"Yes, master", Kiki said.

Mu pulled his hooded cloak on, pulling it low over the dots that replaced regular eyebrows.

"Master?", Kiki started another question.

"Yes?", Mu asked.

"Why do you always hide your hair and eyebrows when we go into the village?"

"I think a man with long pink hair and dots for eyebrows would attract quite a bit of attention, don't you?"

"I have dots, too", Kiki pointed out.

"You're a child", Mu said. He walked over to one of his wooden chests and opened it. He pulled out a small bag that contained coins. Mu still received money from the Sanctuary. While Saints were not given a lot of money, in a poor area like Jamir it was more than enough to sustain him and Kiki and their simple life style.

"Master, what about Lyra?"

"Who?", Mu asked.

"The puppy", Kiki replied.

"You named her Lyra?"

"Yup!"

Mu eyed the little dog. She was sniffing around the floor, trying to get every last scrap of meat off of it. Mu had horrible visions of leaving the little dog in the pagoda and coming back to find their rugs and other possessions chewed to pieces.

"I guess she's coming with us", Mu responded.

The young man fashioned a make-shift collar and leash by tying a scrap of leather around Lyra's neck and attaching one of his scarves to it. He handed the scarf to Kiki.

"Are you ready?", he asked.

The young boy nodded.

"Good", he said.

They set off for the market.

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"Master Mu, I think Lyra would like this", Kiki called.

Mu sighed. They'd come to the market for paint and Kiki was pointing out everything from bones to rugs for the dog. A dog they may not even keep. The young man shook his head-he knew he would let Kiki keep the dog.

"Kiki, we have plenty of rugs. I'm sure Lyra will discover one she enjoys sleeping on."

Kiki opened his mouth to respond when Lyra broke free from his grip and raced down the crowded paved roads of the marketplace.

"No! Lyra!", Kiki cried, chasing after the dog, who was rushing off at light speed, Mu's red scarf dangling from her neck.

Mu groaned.

He broke off into a light-speed run after his pupil and the dog. He heard civilians gasp as he took off-to them, it'd looked like he'd just vanished off the spot. He grabbed first the dog, whom he was really starting to dislike, than Kiki.

"Kiki, you have to keep a better watch on your dog", he admonished.

"Yes, Master", Kiki replied.

Mu was so busy worrying about Kiki and the dog that he didn't notice that his hood had blown back, exposing his pink hair and dotted eyebrows for everyone to see. Several marketplace goers were now watching him, awestruck by his appearance.

"Umm...master...?", Kiki asked.

"What is it now, Kiki?", Mu asked

"Umm...your hood fell off..."

Kiki reached back and tugged the hood back over his master's head.

Mu put Kiki down and sighed.

"Let's just get the paint and go home."

And that's what they did.

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Several hours later, after the house had been repainted, baths had been taken, and dinner eaten, Mu lay on his pallet mulling over the day's events in his mind.

"Master?"

Kiki's voice pulled him from his thoughts.

"Yes, Kiki?"

"Umm...I had a bad dream...uh...Can I stay with you?"

Mu shifted on his pallet to make room for his young charge.

Kiki crawled under the blanket and snuggled up against Mu's chest.

Mu gently stroked the little boy's hair.

"What did you dream about?", he asked.

"I don't wanna talk about it...", Kiki murmured.

"Fair enough.", Mu replied.

Lyra jumped up on the pallet then and curled into a small ball at the edge.

Despite himself, Mu smiled.

Kiki was a handful, and he still wasn't sure if he liked the dog or not, but when they were lying quiet and peaceful like they were now, he felt almost normal.

He closed his eyes and drifted off to sleep.


	9. Storybook Heroes

A/N: This one was refreshingly easy to write once the inspiration came to me. After re-watching the Hades-Sanctuary chapter, I realized they never explained the story behind the little girl and the flower-so here's my own rendition of it. As to why it's his 21st birthday-well, I figured some of the gold saints must have had birthdays during the course of the show, and this takes place a few days before the Hades-Sanctuary chapter begins. Enjoy!

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Aldebaran of Taurus had always taken his responsibility as a saint very seriously. He'd always taken pride in his position as guardian of the second house. Still, he was human just like everyone else and did get the urge to leave from time to time, to see what lay outside the walls of the sanctuary. He'd had the opportunity to leave the sanctuary a few times, but he never really got the chance to go out and actually explore until his twenty-first birthday.

The day had started off perfectly normal. He'd gotten up, eaten, trained, then returned to his temple where he'd washed up and changed into comfortable clothes. He then made himself lunch and ate inside in the comfort of his own temple. He'd just finished eating and was washing his few dishes when he heard footsteps outside his temple.

"Aldebaran?", a soft voice called, the quiet tones echoing off the stone walls.

A grin spread across his face and he stepped out of the kitchen and into the entranceway. His visitor had to be Mu of Aries-everyone else just traipsed through as they pleased. Mu was the only one who still asked for permission to enter other temples.

"Mu", he greeted cheerfully. His smile grew wider when he saw Mu was not alone. "Aiolia, too! Good to see you!"

Aiolia smiled.

"Happy birthday, Big Guy. I tried to tell Mu here we could just walk in, but he insisted we wait out here."

Mu shook his head, but smiled none-the-less.

"One day we'll teach you some manners, Aiolia. Happy birthday, Aldebaran."

Aldebaran just smiled and allowed his guests into his temple.

"We tried getting Shaka and Milo to join us, but neither seemed willing to leave. Lady Athena told him it was ok to go, but Milo's staying by her side. And Shaka..."

Aiolia trailed off.

"These last few months have been hard on all of us, I think. None of us are used to passing through so many empty temples.", Mu said gently.

A silence fell over the three gold saints. One that Aiolia was quick to break.

"So what do you want to do for your birthday, Big Guy? Surely you don't want to stay inside all day."

Aldebaran looked thoughtful. The fact that they could more-or-less do what they wanted now was not quick to sink in. As long as Athena wasn't in any danger, they could go on a two week excursion. They'd been able to leave before, of course, but they'd never had the freedom Athena gave them now.

"I'm not sure...", he finally said. "I kind of want to just see what's right around here."

"You're not missing much. Rude people, screaming lunatics, goats in the streets...", Aiolia flashed a playful smile.

"Marin", Aldebaran added, smiling warmly when Aiolia's cheeks turned bright scarlet, making him resemble a tomato wearing a curly wig.

"Please don't start. I get enough teasing from Milo about her."

"Good point. Maybe we should stop teasing and actually do something about it."

Aiolia's eyes widened as Aldebaran swept his six-foot-two, hundred-and-eighty-seven pound frame into his arms as easily as if he were a child.

"Well, let's go talk to her", Aldebaran said, tossing Aiolia over his shoulder. Even if he hadn't been a Saint, at his height Aiolia's weight would still have been nothing to him. He smiled.

"Aldebaran! Put me down!", Aiolia protested.

Aldebaran walked out of his temple, towards Aries.

"What am I, a throw toy!? Put me down!", Aiolia's voice grew louder.

"What's the matter? Don't you want to speak to her?", Aldebaran teased.

"You're crazy! Put me down!", Aiolia's voice took on such a desperate, pleading tone that Aldebaran complied to his request and set him down.

Mu was following slightly behind them, laughing quietly into the palm of his hand.

"Well, since we're not talking to Marin, can we go explore the area now?", Aldebaran asked.

"That sounds great", Aiolia murmured.

The three young men set off. They wore their cloth to show that they were gold saints of Athena-titles all three held dear now that they knew their goddess. The day was lovely, warm but not scorching, and they were in pretty high spirits considering all that had happened to them in the last few weeks.

"Too bad Milo wouldn't come-if anyone could use the fresh air, it's him", Aldebaran commented.

"Milo's cheerful, but he's also secretive. He is currently working this out on his own-he did lose his best friend. That's a loss none of the rest of us had to take. When he's ready, he'll come back to our company", Mu whispered.

Aiolia turned to look at the lavender-haired man who was still following slightly behind them.

"You're really good at understanding other people", he commented.

Mu smiled, though it was a sad sort of smile.

"When you learn to close off your own emotions, you'll be surprised how receptive you become to other people's", he said.

A high-pitched scream cut off all chatter.

"Someone-help us!", a child's voice pleaded.

The three looked at each other.

"Let's go", Aiolia said.

They ran a short ways, into an open field. The sight that greeted them was enough to make anyone sick.

Three little girls, no older than ten, stood huddled together as a great brute advanced on them. He was very tall-much taller than Mu and Aiolia-but not taller than Aldebaran.

Aldebaran came up behind him and cleared his throat.

"Excuse me", he said in a pleasant voice. "Do you care to tell me why you're harassing these girls?"

The brute grabbed the closest girl-a little thing with waist-long brown hair-and glared at Aldebaran.

"What do you care?", he snapped.

Aiolia looked as though he wanted to jump in and beat the daylights out of the brute, but Mu grabbed his shoulder and shook his head at him. Aldebaran had everything under control. Aiolia contented himself by grabbing up the other two girls and pulling them to safety should the confrontation come down to violence.

Aldebaran just continued on with his pleasant tone of voice, unshaken by the brute's harsh tone.

"Well, when a child cries for help, it becomes my business. I want to know what the young lady could have possibly done to deserve such harsh treatment."

The girl in the brute's arms stopped crying and squirming and looked at Aldebaran. Aldebaran smiled at the child. Then he turned his attention back to the man holding her hostage.

"Surely you must have a reason. No one in their right frame of mind would senselessly harass a child."

"This brat stole my wallet", the brute snapped.

What was with these people? Everything was always about money. Aldebaran bit back a sigh and turned his attention back to the child.

"I somehow doubt she did..." He knelt down so he was eye-level with the girl. "Did you rob this...eh...gentleman of his wallet?"

"No sir. I've never seen him before", the girl replied as calmly as a child could when she is trapped in the arms of a great, smelly brute.

"Well, there you have it. No harm done. Let the girl go and be on your way."

"I'll show you be on my way. I'll be "on my way" after I snap this brat's neck..."

He never got to finish his sentence, however, because Aiolia chose just that moment to jump in.

Aldebaran caught the girl as the brute's arms released her and flinched as the man came crashing to the ground.

The little girl cried out and buried her face against Aldebaran's chest.

"I know you wanted to help the girl, Aiolia, but did you have to hit him that hard?", Aldebaran asked.

"He's lucky he's still breathing", Aiolia snapped, glaring at the prone figure on the ground. To the brute on the ground, he added "And take a shower. I could smell the alcohol on you a half a mile away"

The man groaned, but did not make any attempt to get up off the ground.

The little girl peeked up and looked at Aiolia. She giggled a little as she took in the Leo saint's handsome face and pressed her cheek back against Aldebaran's broad chest.

Aldebaran and Aiolia walked over to where Mu was trying to calm down the other two girls.

Aldebaran set the little girl down and smiled as he watched her run back to her friends.

"I knew you were brash, but I never thought I would see the day when you knocked out a civilian", Aldebaran commented lightly to Aiolia.

The Leo saint shrugged.

"People like him make me sick. Men should not harass women or children. There's no honor on picking on those weaker and smaller than you."

"I agree with you, Aiolia", Aldebarran said.

The girls ran over to them just then. A little girl with long blue hair grabbed Aiolia's hand, while the brown-haired girl and a girl with black hair took Aldebaran's hands. They dragged them over to Mu, giggling.

"You guys are like the heroes in our storybooks!", the brown-haired one said excitedly.

Aldebaran smiled.

"How so?", he asked.

"You have the handsome, brave prince, the beautiful princess, and the gentle giant!"

Mu made a face at being mistaken for a girl.

Aiolia laughed.

"Mu may have long hair and a pretty face, but I assure you he's just as much of a man as we are."

The little girls blushed and giggled.

Aiolia smiled warmly at them. Aldebaran found himself thinking it would be a pity if Aiolia and Marin didn't have children one day-Aiolia'd make a great father.

"My name's Aiolia, this is Aldebaran, and you already know Mu. What are your names?"

The girls giggled. Finally, the brown-haired one, whom Aldebarran guessed was the group's leader, said "My name's Helena, this is Isadora, and that's Nerissa."

"What brings you three here? This isn't exactly the most well-known area in Athens", Nerissa asked shyly, lowering her gaze so her black hair hid her face.

"That's what Aldebaran wanted. He wanted to see the lesser-known towns", Aiolia replied, kneeling down so he was eye-level with her.

"Why did you want to explore this place?", Isadora asked.

"The area's not urbanized", Aldebaran shrugged his broad shoulders.

"Ohhh...", the girls said together.

"But how come you're not with your girlfriends?", Helena asked.

The three guys looked at each other.

"We don't have any", Aldebaran told her.

The girls gasped in surprise.

"No? I would think girls would be all over you!", Helena cried.

"Aren't you a little young to be thinking about that stuff?", Aldebaran asked, trying not to laugh at the stunned look on Aiolia's face.

"Nuh-uh. We're ten. We're old enough to know you're the kind of guys we want to marry someday!", Isadora cried.

Aiolia choked.

"Why do you say we're the type of guys you would like to marry? You don't even know us", Aldebaran said as he patted his choking companion on the back.

"Every girl dreams of one day marrying a bold prince from her fairytales", Helena explained.

Mu smiled gently.

"Princes are best left to fairytales", he said.

The girls pouted.

"I think what Mu is trying to say is there are no princes. Every man has his flaws. You'll just be disappointed if you believe in men like the princes in your stories", Aldebaran explained.

"I think it's time we got going. Your birthday has almost passed, Aldebaran, and we have other places to explore", Aiolia said, finally finding his voice. He looked like he wanted nothing more than to have this bizarre conversation over with. "Will you girls be alright?"

The girls nodded.

"Take care, ladies", Aldebaran said.

The young men set off.

"Mr. Aldebaran! Wait!", one of the girls cried.

The group stopped and saw Helena racing up to them, a purple blossom clutched in her hands.

She gasped for breath as she caught up, her pale cheeks flushed with high color.

"Happy Birthday, Mr. Aldebaran", she said, bowing slightly as she held the flower out to him.

Aldebaran put his hand to the back of his head and smiled sheepishly. He could feel Mu and Aiolia's smiles, and was sure Aiolia would tease him for this later.

Aldebaran extended his hand and took the flower from the pale, fragile-looking hand of Helena.

"Thank you", he said.

Then they left the girls for real.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

Aldebaran sat in his temple, twirling the purple blossom between his fingers, recalling that happy day to mind. It'd only been a few days since that day, but it seemed like it had happened a long time ago. He smiled lightly, watching the pretty purple blossom spin round and round. His smile curved into a frown as the flower wilted between his fingers and died.

The Taurus saint leap to his feet, realizing he was under attack. His heart pounded fiercely in his chest-this would be the fight that killed him, he was sure.

Helena and her friends had called them storybook heroes, but they were wrong. Fairytale heroes did not die, while saints lived on borrowed time. He'd always known the day would come when he died for Athena.

He was not a hero from a child's story, but if he could help protect Athena, even just a little bit, he would be a hero in his own right.

And protecting Athena was the greatest honor he could ever hope for.


	10. Unbreakable Bonds

A/N: I know this is early, and the twins' birthday is not May 28th, but my own birthday is very close to Saga and Kanon's. That means I will not be here on their birthday to post it because I will be elsewhere, celebrating the fact that I survived 21 years in this world (cues confetti). Anyhow, onward with the chapter!

* * *

It has been said that the bond identical twins share is one of the deepest, strongest types of bonds two people could share. For Saga of Gemini, the bond he shared with his twin brother, Kanon, was definitely strong. However, it was not one he'd always been proud of. As they'd approached their teenage years, Kanon had shown himself to be brash and manipulative, a chronic liar. Saga, who was starting to struggle with his split personality at that point, had not known how to deal with his twin and his ideas to kill Athena and the Pope. Finally, in a decision to make his brother see sense, he dragged him off to the Sounion Cape and locked him away. Kanon had screamed to him, pleading with him to let him go. Shouting at him that he was going to kill him if he left him locked in there. _"Do you mean to kill your own brother!?". _The words had rung in Saga's ears and tears had dripped down his face as he wordlessly turned his back on the only flesh and blood he had. He was sure that would be the last time he saw his twin alive.

He'd felt nothing short of shock when he'd come back with Shura and Camus and discovered Kanon wearing his old cloth and filling in his position. Shock and curiously enough, relief. His brother was alive, and serving Athena and justice. Tears had flowed down his cheeks again, only this time it was from memories of a time when he and Kanon had been the best of friends. They'd been inseparable and played together during their free time. Every year on their birthday their master, Elion, had given them the day off. As he ran, their eighth birthday played through his mind.

* * *

May 30th on their eighth year had started off as a beautifully warm day. Saga had been roused from his sleep earlier than normal by Elion, who had sounded very grave when he'd woken him.

"Saga, I need to speak with you."

The intensity of Elion's tone made Saga shoot up in his bed, all traces of fatigue gone from his body. His master was usually sunny and cheerful. Saga knew at once something was wrong. His heart thumped wildly in his chest.

"Master Elion, what's wrong?", Saga asked.

"Where's Kanon? I have to discuss something with you two. I must admit this is not a conversation I dreamed of having with you guys."

"Kanon's probably out training. What's the matter?"

Elion sat on the edge of Saga's bed and wrapped a muscular arm around the young boy's bony shoulder.

"Someone-namely Kanon-went into the Pope's chambers last night and stole something out of there."

Saga gasped.

"How can you be sure it was Kanon?"

"There are guards who saw him leave last night. Naturally they thought it was you, but I knew at once it was Kanon who took it. At least, I don't believe you did it."

Elion looked him dead in the eyes, the stare so intruding it was all Saga could do not to pull away from the piercing, duel-colored gaze.

"You didn't steal from there, did you?"

Saga shook his head.

"You do know that o one is allowed in the Pope's chambers without permission? Even worse is Kanon is technically not supposed to be here and might be executed for tresspassing."

Saga nodded.

"Yes, Master. I know", he said nervously.

"I want to protect him, Saga, but he can't go around doing stupid stuff like this. It hurts me as a master when I get told my student was seen stealing from the pope, and it pains me even more knowing he could get killed for something stupid because he failed to use his brain."

Saga felt sick. He had no idea what he would do if Kanon was killed, and he could only imagine what is master was feeling.

"I'm sorry, Master Elion. I have no idea how you must be feeling, but I will talk to Kanon for you. I'll make him bring back what ever he stole and have him apologize to Pope Shion."

Elion smiled, apparently calmed down a bit.

"I don't think Kanon meant any harm by what he did. He probably thought he was funny", Saga added.

Elion nodded.

"You are going to become a wonderful saint with that attitude. Very well. Go find Kanon and see what he has to say. If he does go and apologize to Pope Shion I won't punish him myself."

Saga smiled widely and gave Elion a huge hug.

"Thank you, master."

Elion returned his student's smile.

"People make mistakes. Now, run along"

Saga didn't need to be told twice as he set off to find his brother.

* * *

"Kanon!", Saga called to his twin. He and his brother regularly trained together and they had their prefered training spot. He hoped Kanon had gone there.

"I'm over here", his brother called back.

Saga's eyes widened as he spotted his brother on one of the highest mountain peaks.

"Kanon! Get down from there!", Saga gasped.

"Ohhh...fine..."

Saga watched anxiously as Kanon climbed down from the peak. He breathed easier when his brother came to stand beside him.

"You're up early. I wasn't expecting you for another hour at least", Kanon commented.

"Well, I have to talk to you", Saga replied.

Kanon plopped down on the ground and crossed his legs.

"So, talk."

Saga carefully lowered himself to the floor so he wouldn't get his tunic too dirty.

"Kanon, why have you been taking things out of Pope Shion's chambers?"

"I haven't", Kanon tried to deny his misdeed.

"Don't lie to me, Kanon. I can read right through you. Master Elion knows you did it, too."

"I'm going to put it back-it's only a joke"

Saga sighed.

"Putting shaving cream on someone's chair is a prank. Replacing shampoo with pancake syrup is a prank. Stealing is not funny."

"Oh, yes it is...do you know why a man would need a gold-plated mirror?"

Saga stared, trying not to laugh.

"So that's what you took from him?"

"Yes-and honestly I'm amazed he noticed it missing. He looks as though he hasn't brushed his hair since he became pope. He clearly doesn't use mirrors."

"Because your hair obviously looks much better", Saga said dryly.

Kanon shrugged.

"I'm not the pope."

"Come on. You have to return that mirror to Pope Shion, and then apologize for taking it. Master Elion said he won't punish you for taking it if you apologize."

Kanon stared.

"Punishment? I don't understand what the big deal is. It's just a dumb old mirror..."

Saga sighed again.

"It's not the mirror, Kanon, it's the stealing...You are showing poor character by taking what is not yours-from the pope, no less."

Kanon continued to stare at his brother.

"Would you steal something from Lady Athena?", Saga asked.

"No!", Kanon replied, his eyes growing round and huge.

"Well, Lady Athena chose Pope Shion to be her pope. Stealing from him is kind of like stealing from her."

"Oh!", Kanon let out a gasp as the weight of Saga's words hit him. Tears started to stream down his cheeks.

"I didn't mean to do anything bad...I just thought it was funny..."

Saga pulled a handkerchief out of his pocket and gently wiped the tears from his brother's eyes. Even though they were twins, Saga was the older twin and felt as though he were the elder brother. He handed the small cloth to Kanon.

"Here. Dry your tears. I know you're sorry."

Kanon sniffed and dabbed at his eyes with Saga's handkerchief.

"Are you going to stand by me when I apologize to Pope Shion?", Kanon asked.

"Of course I will", Saga said gently as he smiled.

* * *

Kanon retrieved the mirror-he hadn't been joking about the gold plating, either-and followed Saga.

"Ok. Stay out of sight. I'm going to bring Pope Shion here and you can apologize to him. Remember, you mustn't be seen. Master Elion, Master Shion, and I are the only ones who know you exist", Saga told Kanon.

Kanon nodded and slipped into one of the many rocky caves.

Once Saga was sure no one casually passing by would spot his twin, he walked up to the young guard posted outside Shion's chamber.

"I need to see Master Shion, please", he said.

"The Pope is very busy right now, Saga. Why don't you try back later?", the guard replied.

"Please. This won't take long", Saga pleaded.

"I'm sorry, Saga. Pope Shion is not to be bothered right now."

The young guard honestly looked apologetic. Saga sighed, defeated, and got ready to head back to the spot he had hidden his twin.

"As if young Saga could bother me, Constantine", a quiet, sage-like voice said. Both Saga and the young guard turned towards the voice.

The speaker was a beautiful old man, tall and regal-looking, with long, silvery-green hair and kind violet eyes. Pope Shion.

Saga got down on one knee in a respectful kneel to the elderly man.

"Master Shion, may I have a word with you for a moment, please?", he asked. He shut his green eyes and prayed that Shion would agree to follow him.

"Of course, Saga. Constantine, if anyone asks, I will be back in a few minutes"

"Yes, sir", Constantine replied.

Shion wordlessly followed Saga to the spot Kanon was hidden.

"Kanon here has something to tell you", Saga said, nudging Kanon forward.

Kanon held out the gold-plated mirror to Shion.

"I'm sorry for taking your mirror. I thought it was funny at the time...I see it really wasn't that funny..."

Saga watched Shion's face as his brother babbled. The old man's elegant features remained serene as he extended a hand to take the mirror.

"It's alright, Kanon", the old man finally had heard enough of Kanon's rambling. "Thank you for returning this mirror to me."

"You're not angry?", Kanon asked.

"You returned it to me, and I can tell your apology was sincere. No harm done."

"Pope Shion...ummm...", Kanon scraped his foot against the floor.

"Don't be bashful, Child. Speak your question." Then, with the wisdom needed from someone of his rank, Shion knelt beside Kanon and said "You want to know what an old coot like me needs with a gold mirror, right?"

Saga's heart fell to somewhere around his knees. He chanced a glance at the old man's face.

"N-no...", Kanon stammered.

Shion chuckled.

"No need to lie to me, Child. Saga, come here, too."

Saga crept over to stand next to his brother.

Shion flipped the mirror over and showed the boys a fancy engraving of two fishes swimming on opposite sides of a stream-the Pisces symbol, Saga remembered.

"This mirror belonged to the Pisces saint over two hundred years ago. She was like a little sister to me. See, I didn't have any siblings of my own, but I did form close bonds with the other saints in my day."

"Two hundred years!? You really are old!", Kanon blurted out.

Saga kicked his brother in the shin.

"Kanon!", he hissed.

Pope Shion gave a soft chuckle.

"It's true that I'm not so young anymore, but I dare say I am much smarter than you are. Youth does not bring about intelligence."

Kanon's face went cherry red and Saga tried not to laugh at his twin's expression.

Shion stood up, graceful in spite of his age, and smiled at the twins.

"I'm sure you have heard enough of an old man's babbles. Kanon, thank you for brining back the mirror, and Saga, thank you for accompanying him. Just remember one thing for me if you would be so kind-the bond you two were fortunate enough to be given is a gift, and you two would be wise to treat it accordingly."

Pope Shion set a hand on each of their shoulders and walked the twins outside.

"Now, run along and do whatever it is you children do in your free time."

The twins waved goodbye to Shion and raced off. By now the temperature had gone from pleasant to hot.

"So what do we do now?", Kanon asked.

"We could go back to Gemini Temple and hang around there. It's getting hot out here", Saga suggested.

Kanon shrugged his shoulders.

"If that's what you want to do."

The twins walked in silence back to their temple.

* * *

"Happy birthday, boys", Elion said, smiling at the twins.

The boys' eyes widened.

"Y-you're giving us a party, Master Elion?", Saga finally asked.

"Oh, come now. "Party" is such a strong word. I'm giving you cake and ice cream and I decorated a bit."

"In other words, you're giving us a party", Kanon said.

Elion twisted his waist-long golden curls from his face and secured them back with a rubber band.

"If that's what you insist on calling it, then yeah."

The twins took seats at their tiny kitchen table and Elion set a cake in front of them.

"I do hope vanilla is an acceptable compromise. I somehow doubted Kanon wanted to eat strawberry cake, and Saga, I know you're not big on chocolate."

"Who cares? It's cake", Kanon said cheerfully.

"Yeah, Kanon will eat anything he's not usually permitted to eat", Saga added.

"Only good stuff. I'm not permitted to eat dirt every day and I wouldn't eat that."

"I would certainly hope not", Elion said, a sparkle in his duel-colored eyes. "That's a good way to get worms."

"People get worms!?", Kanon cried, his eyes round and horrified.

"People are animals, too, Kanon. Any animal can get worms", Elion told him.

Kanon gagged.

"Suddenly, I'm not very hungry..."

* * *

Later that night, after the party was over and Kanon was fast asleep in his bed, Saga crept into Elion's room to speak with their master.

"Master Elion...I was wondering something. How come you didn't mention the mirror to Kanon?"

"Pope Shion informed me telepathically that Kanon had come to apologize. He already was punished in my eyes."

Saga nodded and stared at his master's unusual eyes.

"Master? I've always wondered something if you don't mind my asking. Why do you have one brown eye and one green one?"

"I don't know, to be honest with you. I can't say why some people are born with two eye colors. I like to say it's an outward reflection of my duality."

"Duality?"

"Oh, yes. There are two sides to every Gemini. That's why the sign is represented by twins. Some people are worse than others, but everyone has two sides."

Saga was taken aback-Elion's brown eye seemed to glow with happiness, while the green one looked on the verge of tears. How could one person feel so much emotion at once-and express it all at the same time?

"I see a lot of duality in you, Saga. You may not even realize it's there yet, but you have two personalities lingering inside of you. Which side you let take dominance will be what makes or breaks you once you attain Sainthood."

"And what of Kanon?"

"Your brother is not so duel-natured as I believe you to be. But don't worry. He will continue to train with us so he can stand in as Gemini saint should he ever be needed."

"That doesn't seem very fair to Kanon, though. He doesn't really have a chance at true sainthood. He's just being trained in case something happens to me..."

"Life's not fair, Saga. This is your birth right. Don't be ashamed to take it, but also don't let a thing like cloth or power get in the way of your relationship with your brother. You'll do fine."

Saga smiled at Elion.

"Thank you, master. I think I am going to head to bed now."

"Goodnight, Saga."

* * *

"We're all alive!", Aiolia's voice rushed past Saga's ears. "Can you believe it!?"

"Athena won this battle...she brought us back", Aiolos's voice rang out in response to his brother.

Saga looked down at himself-he was wearing his blue robes with the red sash around his waist. No one was in their cloth. Why that was, he wasn't sure, since he didn't think it had been destroyed. He supposed Athena thought they'd fought enough.

He smiled, happy for everyone. He wanted to stay and chat, to apologize to Shura, to make amends with Aiolos, but there one thing more important he had to take care of first. He had to find him, he was sure he had come back with the rest of them...a few moments later, he spotted him. He was sitting by himself, looking very conflicted.

"Kanon", Saga said, kneeling down in front of his brother. "How do you feel?"

"Athena brought me back, I'm feeling pretty good", Kanon replied.

"So you're crying tears of joy then?", Saga asked.

"No. I'm crying "I'm a terrible person and don't deserve to be here" tears. After all that she's done for us...it kills me to think I wanted to kill her..."

Saga felt his own tears slip down his cheeks. He knew the feeling of guilt all too well. Yet he also knew that Athena had forgiven him, and that gave him the strength he needed.

"That's in the past, Kanon. Athena forgave you, and so has everyone else. Don't be so hard on yourself. You are not alone-there are very few here that are blameless."

"It's just hard not to feel guilty..."

"I know it is. It'll get easier", Saga replied.

"I'm sure it will...", Kanon murmured.

Saga did not have a handkerchief with him so he undid the sash at his waist and handed that to his brother.

"Here, dry your tears."

Kanon gave him a small smile and wiped his face on the sash.

"Thank you", he whispered.

"Come on, now. We've been given another chance at life. I don't plan on wasting it."

Saga extended his hand to his twin.

Kanon grabbed Saga's hand and allowed his brother to pull him to his feet.

"So, where do we start?", he asked.

Saga considered. He thought repairing their beaten-up bond would be an excellent start. While their bond had never been broken-he didn't think it was something that could be broken-it had taken a lot of neglect over the past thirteen years.

"Do you still like chocolate cake?", Saga asked.

Kanon's eyes grew huge.

"Are you crazy!? I love chocolate cake!"

"Then it's settled-first we get some decent clothes on, then we go get some cake..."

"Do we have to change clothes first?"

"Your tunic has more holes in it than a chunk of coral and I'm practically wearing a dress. Yes, we have to change."

Kanon sighed.

"Ok", he relented. "But I want walnuts on my cake...oh! And cherries...and whipped cream..."

"And you want a terrible stomach ache."

"Hah! I can eat anything!"

Saga rolled his eyes.

"Newsflash. You are not ten-years-old anymore."

Kanon didn't reply. He was deep in thought. Finally he said "Saga? Before we do anything else, can we go visit Master Elion's grave? I'm sure he'd like a visit from us together."

Saga nodded.

"We can do that", he said.

The two brothers headed off, a companionable silence between them.

* * *

A/N: That is all for now. I'm not sure if anyone else besides Saga knew of Kanon's existance. I know the manga had Kanon saying none of the other saints knew about him, but that did little to clarify if Shion or Saga's master knew. I decided I wanted to have them know about Kanon. Hope this was enjoyed. I enjoyed writing it. Also, I must say my weekend spent seaside earlier in the month with my young cousins inspired me further, and I have plans for a fic that focuses on Saga, Kanon, and Elion. So if you are a fan of the twins, I have a story for you. And I am babbling again. Thank you for reading! 


	11. Death Day

A/N: Once again I am guilty of using material given to me by my friends. This is based off a role play my friend Elisabeth and I did after taking a Saint Seiya personality test (she got Deathmask, I got Aphrodite). Deathmask is hard to do, so any help I had, even insane help, was embraced and utilized. Yes, I know this one is very late. My schedule has been absolutely chaotic, I had to finish two challenge fics I was given before I got to this one, and to top it all off, I got sick again. The next one will be on time, I promise. It's already been typed up. Anyhow, that's enough of my rambling. Enjoy the super-late update.

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Angelo of Cancer-better known as Deathmask-was one of the few saints who actually looked forward to his birthdays. He'd even gone as far as to nickname June 24th as "Death Day" to show the day belonged to him. Never mind that his birthday was the only day during the year he would not kill anyone. His birthdays were usually spent in the company of his best friend, Aphrodite, and were often the weirdest nights in his life. Yet out of all his birthdays, it was his twenty-second one that stuck out most in his mind...

Deathmask stepped out of his bathroom wearing fresh jeans. He wasn't wearing a shirt as his hair was still dripping from his shower. He smiled to himself-his plan was to get drunk off his ass then let the Pisces saint drag him back to Sanctuary, half passed out and spluttering like a buffoon. Aphrodite owed him that much, since he still hadn't paid him back for a night three years earlier, when he'd gotten so drunk Deathmask had actually had to carry him back to the Sanctuary. Carrying Aphrodite had not been the bad part-the bad part had been dealing with the young men who believed Aphrodite to be a woman. Yup. Aphrodite still owed him a favor.

"Ah, hello, Angelo", Aphrodite greeted him cheerfully as he stepped into Cancer Temple's main hallway.

Deathmask glared at his considerably smaller friend.

"Stop putting makeup on my walls, you cross-dresser!"

"Ok", Aphrodite replied.

"Or my floors-or my ceilings. Leave the faces in my temple alone"

Aphrodite pouted purple-lipsticked lips.

"You're no fun. I was just trying to make your death masks look pretty. Why hang up faces and call yourself "Deathmask" if you don't want to enhance the beauty of your masks?"

Deathmask rolled his eyes.

"They're not supposed to be pretty. They're horrifying and grotesque."

It was Aphrodite's turn to roll his eyes.

"Listen", Deathmask added. "You kill people and put their faces on your walls and you can make them as "pretty" as you want."

"Ew", Aphrodite said, disgust marring his lovely features. "That would look beyond tacky."

Deathmask feigned a hurt look.

"My faces are not "tacky". They're very stylish. Very "new wave" and hip."

Aphrodite snorted and drew a compact from his pocket, probably to check his mascara.

"Whatever you say, Angelo."

Deathmask made to grab the compact out of Aphrodite's hands, but his friend pulled back. The result was the compact flying from both their hands. It went skidding across the floor into the open mouth of one of Deathmask's many faces.

Deathmask laughed uproariously as Aphrodite knelt down and poked two long, thin fingers into the face's mouth, trying to fish out his compact. He was shaking. He finally decided the mirror was not worth it and backed away.

Deathmask, still laughing hysterically, knelt down and pulled the compact from the face's mouth. He plunked it into Aphrodite's delicate-looking hands.

"Yeah, keep laughing, Angelo. How would you like it if I told all the younger saints your real name is Angelo?"

"Bitch", Deathmask muttered, though his laughter stopped at once. "Bastard", he added. "Both apply. But I still get the last laugh. That guy had gingivitis."

Aphrodite dropped the compact on the floor with a squeak and dashed into the bathroom. Deathmask heard the sound of water running.

"I'll be in the kitchen if you need me", he called. He picked up the compact and brought that with him. It made a very satisfying noise when he tossed it into his metal trashcan.

Aphrodite returned a few moments later, his hands looking burned.

"Welcome back", Deathmask said as he rummaged through his kitchen drawers.

"Why do you have to be so creepy?", Aphrodite asked him.

"Excuse me. You have no right to call me creepy. I am not the man with a face so pretty I make super models want to commit suicide because their looks are inferior to mine."

"Well, forgive me for looking like my mother!", Aphrodite huffed, practically throwing his body into one of Deathmask's kitchen chairs.

"Apology accepted", Deathmask said.

He continued to rummage through the kitchen drawers until he found what he was looking for-a large, very sharp kitchen knife. He ran his hand over the surface and then placed the blade on the counter.

"Did you just cut yourself!?", Aphrodite demanded.

"Cut is such a strong word. I like knicked better. I knicked myself."

"You're bleeding too hard for a knick."

Deathmask waved his bloody hand.

"It's fine", he said. "I'm making burgers. Do you want one?"

"Umm...I'll pass", Aphrodite replied.

"Suit yourself", Deathmask said. He worked for a few moments in silence then-

"Did you know if you if you make a clean slice the blood flows more evenly than if you used a hacking motion?"

"Umm...no...", Aphrodite replied in a small voice.

"Oh. Good thing to know, I guess."

Aphrodite gasped.

"Umm...Angelo. No. Never mind..."

Deathmask pushed down on one of the burgers.

"Don't call me Angelo...call me Deathmask...or Master Death...or D-Man. Yes. D-Man..."

"What are those things made of!?", Aphrodite demanded. "It just moaned in pain."

"Umm...beef?", Deathmask replied.

"I tell you, that meat is looking at me..."

Deathmask looked back at his friend and saw confusion etched all over Aphrodite's lovely features.

"So? Maybe it likes you. You _are_ very pretty."

Aphrodite jumped up, knocking his chair over in the process. He was too freaked out to even notice Deathmask had paid him a compliment.

"How can beef think someone is pretty!?"

"Ohh...", Deathmask said slowly. "Did I say beef? I meant human flesh. It's a common mistake."

Aphrodite made a gagging noise in his throat.

"Yeah", Deathmask continued, as though it was the most normal thing in the world. "You know, you kill someone, put their face on your wall, and use their flesh for sustenance..."

He trailed off as Aphrodite clamped his hands over his mouth and darted towards the bathroom.

"Hey! I was just kidding!", Deathmask called after him, laughing hysterically.

Aphrodite stalked out of the bathroom, his face paper-white. He scowled at Deathmask, a look that might have been intimidating if it hadn't been coming from a man who was pale, trembling, and wearing purple lipstick.

Deathmask's grin only grew wider.

"I pulled that same prank on Aiolia when they came back drunk on Milo's birthday in November-of course I didn't let the little lion know it was a joke. I do believe he is still freaked out at me. He runs through here so fast I don't have time to say hi to him. Not that I want to say hi to him."

Aphrodite gave a shaky laugh. He didn't bother to point out that the "little lion" was almost as tall as Deathmask and probably weighed more.

"Well, gee, I wonder why", he replied. "You fooled your own best friend into thinking you eat human flesh. Forget about what the man you hate must think."

"Listen to you. "The man you hate". You say it like Aiolia doesn't hate me back."

"I don't think he does. He's just angry with you because you kicked Lithos. And then she left Sanctuary and you never apologized to her for kicking her!"

Deathmask shrugged his shoulders.

"Why would I apologize to her? She's the one who needed to be put back in her place."

Aphrodite rolled his eyes.

Deathmask stared at his friend.

"You're not going soft on me, are you, Dite?"

"No, it's just-" Aphrodite trailed off as an acrid scent reached his nostrils. "Angelo, I think your meat is burning."

Deathmask raced towards the kitchen, nearly knocking Aphrodite over in the process. He swore loudly and violently at the flames rising from the pan. The meat was scorched beyond recognition. There was no way he could eat it now. He sighed and tossed the charred flesh into his trash can.

"Guess we can head out now", he said.

Aphrodite nodded. They exited Cancer temple and were on their way to Gemini. Aphrodite suddenly realized he'd forgotten his wallet.

Deathmask sighed.

"Let's go get it, then."

They turned around and headed towards Pisces temple.

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"Good God, Aphrodite! You could choke half of Japan with this aromatherapy shit!", Deathmask cried as rose-scented incense hit his nose.

"Good thing we're in Greece", Aphrodite replied, but he none-the-less put out the flames in his various burners. The scent subsided.

"I can breathe! Thank that evil bastard pope-because the day I thank Athena is the day her face adorns my wall-and I will be thanking her for covering up that unsightly spot in the foyer."

Aphrodite didn't laugh. The look on his face was dark.

"You should watch what you say, Angelo", he said in a soft voice. "What if Shura were to hear you? Or any of the younger saints? People are already starting to get suspicious of the Pope."

Deathmask chuckled.

"You worry too much, Aphrodite"

"I don't want you taking me down with you because you can't keep your mouth shut", Aphrodite replied.

Deathmask decided it was time to change the subject. despite his feminine appearance, Aphrodite was actually very strong, and he didn't want to fight with his best friend at the moment. His eyes fell on a box of chocolates on Aphrodite's kitchen table.

"Going on a date?", he asked.

"What?", Aphrodite asked, shoving his wallet in his pocket. "Oh, those. No. Someone gave those to me in town earlier. I think he thought I was a girl."

"Hey, there's a note in here", Deathmask said through a mouth full of chocolate. "Let's see if this works..."

He fished a cellphone out of his pocket.

Aphrodite gave him a questioning look.

"I found this in town a few days ago...", Deathmask explained as he punched in the number. "It's probably been turned off, but it's worth a try...Oh. It's ringing."

"Hello?", a male voice picked up on the other end. Deathmask couldn't stop himself from grinning.

"Hi, uh-Gus...", Deathmask said slowly. "My name's Angelo. I was calling about that...eh, pretty girl you gave those chocolates to..."

Deathmask could practically hear the color draining from the young man's face as he asked if Deathmask was the girl's boyfriend.

"Well, about that", Deathmask continued. "This may disappoint you, but he only dates girls-as much as he looks like a woman, he's not into guys, sorry...Yeah. He. He's a man. With a penis and everything-hello?"

Deathmask hung up the phone.

"I think I heard his brain break", he told Aphrodite. "I should go find him and take his face. I bet I don't have that expression yet."

Aphrodite laughed.

"Want some wine?", he offered.

Deathmask's eyes widened.

"Saying no to alcohol is never an option", he said.

Aphrodite rolled his eyes and disappeared in the kitchen. He returned carrying two glasses of wine and a bottle. He set the bottle on the table and thrust one of the glasses none-too-gently into Deathmask's hands.

Deathmask stared at the crystal glass in fascination.

"You should have been a girl", he muttered as he swallowed the glass of wine in one gulp. "That was good. Got any more?"

Aphrodite handed him the bottle.

"Be careful with that, Angelo. It may taste sweet, but it's really strong..."

Deathmask wasn't paying any mind, though he could already feel the affects of the alcohol on him. Five glasses later had him sputtering like a buffoon.

"Do you think Athena's hot?", he asked.

"WHAT!?", Aphrodite yelped, splashing blood-red wine onto the floor.

Deathmask knew he was drunk and should stop, but found he couldn't. What was that saying again? In vino veritas(1)?

"Well, if she's hot", Deathmask explained "I want to sleep with her. Sleep with her just once...and then kill her...kill her before she wakes up."

Aphrodite wrenched the wine from Deathmask's hands. Deathmask made no attempt to grab it back. He peered at Aphrodite as though seeing his best friend for the first time.

"Hey! You look like a girl!", he cried, breaking into a fit of hysterical laughter.

"Come on", Aphrodite said firmly, practically dragging the inebriated Cancer saint from his chair. "You're too drunk to go anywhere but bed."

Deathmask allowed Aphrodite to pull him to his bedroom. He felt the Pisces saint's small hands shove the center of his back. Deathmask toppled face-first into a soft white comforter.

"It's fucking girlie!", he yelled.

"Goodnight, Angelo", Aphrodite said, closing the door.

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Deathmask wasn't sure if that's when he passed out or not, but he couldn't recall anything else after Aphrodite said goodnight. He laughed.

Aphrodite frowned.

"Did you not hear a word I said? The Sanctuary is under attack. The Bronze saints are here."

"Oh, I heard you. I was just remembering my birthday-last year's birthday."

"Get out of my temple and go guard your palace."

Deathmask smirked.

"What's the matter, Dite? Afraid of a few little boys?"

Aphrodite scoffed.

"Of course not, but you can't stop them if you're in here."

"So, they'll go through my empty temple, meet Aiolia, then die-"

Aphrodite sighed.

Deathmask's smirk only grew wider.

"Oh, wait. No, they won't because say it-go on, say it."

Purple lips curved into a frown.

"Angelo..." Aphrodite's tone was warning.

"Say it", Deathmask repeated.

"Fine. You were right and Aiolia's the traitor you claimed he was all along."

"Damn straight", Deathmask said.

"Which is all the more reason for you to get out of here and go guard your palace. Aiolia pledged allegiance to Athena. He will undoubtedly be helping the Bronze saints."

"Which makes one gold saint and a hoard of children against the rest of us. Trust me. Even with Aiolia's held, they won't make it past Gemini."

"Angelo, get out of here, now."

"One more drink first?", Deathmask asked. The Cancer saint dodged the red rose that went flying at his head.

"Ok, Ok, I'm leaving"

He turned to make the walked back to his temple. He was almost down the stairs when he called back to Aphrodite. "Are you sure we can't have one more drink?"

The bottle of wine came flying out of the entrance way. He caught it easily and took a big gulp from the bottle.

He wasn't worried about the outcome of the fight. Not because he was really as confident as he pretended to be. He knew it wasn't going to be as easy as he told Aphrodite it would be. No. He, Deathmask, wasn't worried because he wasn't afraid of dying. Whatever happened, happened. He was fairly certain he wasn't going to come out of this fight alive.

That suited him just fine.

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(1) In vino veritas is an Italian saying. It means "In wine, there's truth". Anyhow, next story up is Aiolia's. It's been done for months, so it will be up on the 16th. I am almost done with Ikki's, so I am fairly certain that one will be up on time, too. Again I apologize for the delay on this one. Hope it was worth the wait.


	12. Golden Heart

A/N: In every collection of stories, there's that one that has to be taken with a grain of salt and left alone-this is that story. This one's my favorite in the whole collection, but we'll see how others take it. There's also a lot of novelization of the 1st manga of Episode G with Aiolia's thoughts and feelings thrown in. I do not own Episode G, sadly. Also, I know Aiolia did not go to America during his birthday, he went before, but I changed that detail to fit the story. Please do not hurt me or send me to the Sounion Cape. I think that covers everything. Enjoy!

* * *

Aiolia of Leo had learned many lessons in his short life span. The first lesson was that people were usually not what they seemed. Like the pretty waves that hid jagged rocks, people could hide their cruelty behind a mask of kindness. His own brother had done it. The second lesson he had learned was that if you had a person you really cared about, you'd better trust yourself to keep him or her safe, because you couldn't count on anyone else to do it. The most important lesson he'd learned, however, he'd learned on his fourteenth birthday by an American man. Aiolia had learned on that day what it truly meant to have a Saint's heart-a golden heart. 

The weather is almost always hot in August, no matter where in the United States you happened to reside, but that year, on August 16th, in Three Mile  
Island, Pennsylvania, the heat was almost unbearable. Aiolia, clothed in jeans, a T-shirt, and a jeans jacket, shifted uncomfortably in his chair as  
he listened to a chief-or whatever a person of his rank was called-prattle on about a nuclear reactor. His shirt was damp and stuck to his back and his  
sweat had his short, red-dyed hair plastered to his forehead. Aiolia was no genius-actually, most would say he was not bright at all-but he suspected  
the instability of the nuclear reactor was what was causing the excess heat. He was seriously contemplating taking off his jacket, but he was not very  
familiar with American customs and was not sure how that would be viewed. He didn't have the best manors in the world, but the last thing he wanted to do  
was piss off the inhabitants of an entire country.

"...I hope I can count on you, John Black."

Aiolia's attention was fully caught by the man entering the room. He was fairly young-Aiolia guessed he was in his mid-to-late thirties, with close-cropped blond hair and brown eyes that flashed with intelligence. His manor of dress also made Aiolia uncomfortable. This John Black guy not only wore long dress pants and a black shirt, which was probably also long sleeved, he wore a trench coat-a trench coat! The man may have been intelligent, but he wasn't sane, Aiolia was quick to decide that. John Black strolled up to the chief's desk and took the file that was being presented to him.

"This is my job. I'm not afraid of radiation", he said slowly. "But if a negotiator like myself is needed for this, than this is not an accident..."

"Correct", the chief interrupted John Black. "It is an act of terrorism."

John Black continued to scan the file.

"I thought my job was to convince the terrorists to give up. This is new to me. So is bringing an unknown person with me to this group of terrorists."

"It's not a group", the chief told him. "It's an individual."

John Black stared at the chief, disbelief flashing in his eyes.

"An individual? You mean to tell me an individual got into the nuclear power plant? That can't be. It's impossible!"

John Black put extra emphasis on the word "impossible", as though trying to convince the chief of how crazy the idea was.

"It IS possible", Aiolia told him, getting up and strolling over so he was standing beside John Black. "No body in this place has the power that person  
has. The man is still a human, but his powers are far above anything you can imagine."

He winced inwardly, aware of his heavy Greek accent.

John Black's eyes grew wide and horrified.

"You're crazy! You want me to take this...this boy...with me into a radioactive hell where a terrorist is!?"

"This isn't open for discussion, there is no time for details. Your job is to bring the boy to reactor two.", the chief said calmly.

Aiolia watched the man, this John Black, to see what his reaction would be to that statement. He didn't understand this strange American man, and his  
emotions. Why should he care about taking him to a "radioactive hell"? He didn't even know him!

"I'm sorry, but I won't do it, even if this is an order from the president!", John Black's voice took on a higher tone, not really yelling, but louder than a regular speaking voice.

"It's not from the president", the chief said. "This order is from someone higher up."

"Since when is there someone higher than the president?", John Black asked.

His gaze shifted back to Aiolia, and Aiolia could drown in the pity swimming in his round brown eyes.

"Someone who has America in his hands wants us to bring this boy to the "nuclear hell". This conversation is over. You have one hour."

John Black opened his mouth to say something, then shut it, and swallowed hard. His hands curled into fists and shook. Wordlessly he led Aiolia away.

* * *

Aiolia was not very good with different types of ranks or anything, but he knew a military base when he saw one, and that was exactly where John Black took him. The two stood in a small tent no larger than the bathroom in Leo temple. It was hot, and Aiolia soon grew impatient. 

"Can we go now, John Black?", he asked.

"Your English has an accent. Where are you from?", John Black asked.

Aiolia hesitated, than figured there would be no harm in answering his question. No point trying to pretend he was American when he himself heard his accent.

"Greece", he said simply.

John Black started to pull on a strange-looking suit with a pack strapped to the back.

"Greece, huh? That's pretty far away...", he said.

Aiolia stared at him, but didn't reply.

The man gave him a smile.

"I'm sorry, I don't mean to pry. Will you tell me your name at least? Since we are partners now?"

This information Aiolia was not willing to give to him. He wasn't sure why, but he didn't want this man to know his name.

"Leo", Aiolia told him, opting instead to give him his zodiac sign.

John Black chuckled.

"Leo? The Lion? A rather unoriginal code name, if I must say so, but that's OK. It's normal for you not to trust me, since we don't really know each other. But believe me, I will take good care of you."

Aiolia was not impressed. No one had taken care of him in seven years, since his elder brother, Aiolos, had betrayed sanctuary and they decided Aiolia  
would do the same. For this man to declare something so bold to a total stranger...well, Aiolia was now certain the man was insane.

"Are you a soldier?", Aiolia asked him.

"No", John Black replied, speaking quite candidly with Aiolia, as though hoping to put his young companion at ease. "I am a negotiator and I work freelance."

Aiolia had no idea what freelance was, but he was pretty sure it had nothing to do with the military.

"Then why are you doing this? It's dangerous and you're not in the military..." Aiolia did not understand one bit.

"As a negotiator, I bargain with terrorists and try to reach an agreement for the government", John Black explained. "And of course, I work for money, too, but that isn't everything. I really don't care this way or that about the state, but I can, with my head and my words, help protect lives. You see, I really don't care if the country looses their face, but I have the chance to protect the lives of other people, and that is very important to me."

His words ran through Aiolia's mind, and Aiolia took a few minutes to process them.

"So you're doing this for your face?", he finally asked.

John Black laughed, but it was a gentle laugh.

"Wow. You really can tell English is not your first language. I'm not talking about my "face". I'm talking about honor."

Aiolia stared at the strange man. The way he glowed when he spoke of protecting people and his honor. He still did not understand all that he was  
talking about, but he knew that he could trust him. He was surprised when he realized he wanted John Black to trust him, too.

"Enough chit-chat", John Black said. "Put on your protective clothing, and then we can go."

Aiolia looked at the suit.

"What a waste", he commented dryly.

"Don't you understand it is dangerous to go without a bio-hazard suit on?",John Black asked.

Aiolia looked at the man levelly.

"I haven't known you very long, but I do trust you, John Black. But do you trust me, too? I mean, you want to protect me, when I don't need it...Then I want to protect you, too."

Aiolia was surprised to see a single tear trail down the man's face.

"You want to protect me?", he asked.

"Yes...I am probably the only one who can do this..."

A dull ache filled Aiolia's chest as they left the base.

Somehow, he already knew this was not going to turn out how he wanted.

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Aiolia felt kind of weird being in charge of the whole situation as John Black let him take the lead into what the American man had dubbed the "radioactive hell." The American was quiet as they walked towards the second reactor, keeping their eyes opened for this "terrorist."

"Are you alright, John Black?", he asked after a few moments of the man's silence. He hadn't known him long, but he knew the silence was not part of  
his regular character.

"Yes...", the man responded slowly. "But how is it that my body can handle this? Is it the golden light around my body?"

"Don't leave the light. It's sort of like a barrier", Aiolia cautioned him.

"A barrier between life and death...what kind of a technique is this?"

Aiolia ignored his question.

"John Black. I think we're here. Is this the reactor?"

"Yes...but what are we doing here? Where is the terrorist?"

A loud explosion caught their attention. They shielded their faces.

"An explosion...The reactor must be going off!", John Black shouted to Aiolia.

"No!", Aiolia shouted back. "It's a person!"

After that, everything kind of ran together as a blur for Aiolia. The strange man who had entered the room challenged John Black to a battle, thinking he was a saint. Then he went into a spiel about how he should have been a saint and what not. Aiolia had wished he would get to the point.

"...I will destroy that reactor and melt the earth...", the weird guy who still had not given them a name declared.

At least he was getting to the point now.

"...If the saints are real warriors, they will come to stop me, and then I will kill each and every one of them that I am most deserving of the title of "saint". You're just getting in my way..."

Aiolia braced himself, getting ready to fight this guy. Most deserving of sainthood. Saints were not supposed to go around killing mindlessly...

"DIE, PATHETIC HUMANS!", the man screamed, and attacked.

Aiolia went to move, but was pushed back by John Black, who used his body as a shield. Aiolia watched, horrified, as the man's body was wounded, his blood pouring down his face, his hands, blood soaked through the light-colored fabric of his trench coat, leaving ugly stains.

"Why?", Aiolia asked him, his voice wavering. "Why did you protect me, John Black? I would have been alright-that attack was not one strong enough to hurt me!"

The man coughed, and blood spurted from his lips.

"You...you're asking me why? Then you don't understand-it is normal to protect people. You may call it a vanity, but it is natural..."

Natural, Aiolia thought.

He glanced at the man, his eyes had closed for the last time.

For the first time in seven years, Aiolia felt tears sliding down his cheeks. This was a death that would weigh heavily on his soul for the rest of his life.

"Isn't it silly the way some people reason?", their assailant asked, taking a step towards Aiolia. "What good came out of him giving up his life for yours? How can a person who fights only with his words be a hero when there is nothing to negotiate?"

Aiolia lifted his head and glared up at the man, a burning hatred coursing through him. He hadn't felt this angry since he'd learned what his brother had done, and how his brother's own best friend had been the one to kill him.

"He did not fail, because he did not come here to negotiate with you...He was trying to help me. To open my eyes to the fact that not everything has reason behind it. He's shown me the weakness of my own heart..."

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"Master Aiolia?"

Aiolia was slowly tugged awake by the sound of a girl's voice.

A masculine voice chided "Shh, Lithos. He's sleeping. Let him rest."

"Well, we should take him to bed at least. I doubt he'd be happy with us if he knew we saw him and left him laying sprawled across the cold floors of his temple", the feminine voice said.

Aiolia struggled to open his eyes, to move, to do something. What was going on...

_The tea! _He remembered. Shaka had come into his temple earlier. The blond boy had not stayed long, as he hated leaving his own temple, but he had given him a cup of tea to "quiet his troubled mind." He had not said anything about the tea putting him into a drug-induced coma. Whatever was in that tea was strong for it to have knocked him out the way it had. He would never doubt Shaka's herbal remedies again-he was certain that tea was stronger than an elephant tranquilizer.

"Right. I'll carry him", the masculine voice responded.

Aiolia felt strong arms lift his body off the ground, and he was carried off.

Way to go, Shaka, Aiolia thought. If there was an attack right now, I would be utterly useless. I can't even tell my own attendant to put me down.

Lithos and Galan...there were two more people Aiolia was grateful to have in his life. Lithos, his "little sister", was spunky and sweet and made the days in Leo temple bearable if not enjoyable. Galan was smart and loyal, and could be depended on for anything and everything.

"Pull back his sheets so I can set him down, Lithos", Galan said.

"Yes, sir", Lithos's voice chimed.

Aiolia heard the rustle of fabric, and then felt his body being placed on his soft bed. Silky sheets were slipped over his body, and he heard his attendants walking away.

"Wait", he managed to call out. His voice was weak, but he was sure they would hear him. "Don't go."

"You're awake?", Lithos asked. Aiolia heard her come running back over to his bed.

"Barely", Aiolia replied, struggling to sit up. He managed to force his eyes open..

"Master, you really should get some rest", Galan said, concern in his voice. "Your face is pale, you have shadows under your eyes, you look exhausted. You should sleep now...you have no idea when the next battle will be."

Aiolia leaned against the headboard of his bed. Sleep sounded all too good at the moment, but he could not allow himself to rest. If there was another battle, he needed to be ready.

"A saint does not allow himself to be caught off guard", Aiolia told him, drawing a deep breath. "It only takes a single second for something important to be robbed."

"Well, how about I make you a nice dinner then? Something to replenish your strength?"

Aiolia smiled.

"I would like that, Galan, thank you."

"It's no trouble at all, master", Galan replied, a warm smile on his face.

He left the room then, leaving Aiolia and Lithos alone.

"Master, after you eat, do you want me to help you dye your hair again?", Lithos asked.

Aiolia pulled a lock of his golden-brown hair in front of his face and looked at it. He shook his head.

"No, Lithos. I'm not going to dye my hair any more. I refuse to hide who I really am just to comfort the other gold saints. I am me. Nothing more, nothing less."

Lithos practically beamed at him.

I am Aiolia, gold saint of Leo, younger brother of Aiolos, gold saint of Sagittarius. I am a Saint and a protector. I am a fighter who uses his powers to shield the rest of humanity from the unpleasantness of the battles with these titans. I am someone who will never give up as long as lives are at stake and will strive to be as kind as possible. I am no longer afraid of emotions...

"If you're not going to use your dye, maybe I'll use it myself", Lithos said, pulling him from the mantra he'd been repeating to himself since the battles began. He was starting to believe it.

"You already have red hair, why would you dye it red?"

"It'd be a pity to see it go to waste", Lithos replied, shrugging her tiny shoulders.

Aiolia laughed.

"Have fun with that, then". He eased his bruised, aching body down on the bed, resting his head against his pillow. "I think I'm going to take Galan's advice after all."

"Yeah, you look like you could use ten or twelve hours of uninterrupted sleep. Just try to change out of those clothes if you can manage. You're filthy."

Aiolia nodded and Lithos left the room.

He slowly dragged himself out of bed, into his person bath chamber. He splashed his face and arms with water to wash away the dirt. He glanced at his face in the small mirror by his basin.

His features were starting to give up their childish roundness, taking on a more masculine shape. It wouldn't be long before he grew tall, with the broad shoulders and strong arms of his brother. His hands had long ago changed from the small, pudgy hands of a child to the long-fingered hands of a man. Slowly he was leaving childhood and entering adulthood. He knew the type of man he wanted to grow into.

John Black would never know just how much he had done for him. His elder-brotherly attitude had sort of reminded Aiolia of Aiolos, but he had done more than just stepping in and assuming the role of the older sibling he'd lost. The American man had showed him how a true saint was supposed to act. He had taught Aiolia how to trust others and how to care about others over himself.

It seemed weird that he owed so much to a man he had only known a few hours, but that man had felt Aiolia's life important enough to sacrifice his own  
for.

Aiolia pulled a clean t-shirt over his head and slipped back into bed, a small smile playing on his face. It felt good to recall a person to mind with such fondness.

He settled himself down and shut his eyes. It had taken a life-too high of a price-for him to be shaken from the bitterness in his heart. While he still carried wounds and resentment, he knew he would not go back to being the untamed beast he'd been before. He'd been changed, for the better. He owed that to an American man who knew how to care. A man who'd had a heart of gold.

I am Aiolia, gold saint of Leo, younger brother of Aiolos, gold saint of Sagittarius. I am a Saint and a protector. I am a fighter who uses his powers to shield the rest of humanity from the unpleasantness of the battles with these titans. I am someone who will never give up as long as lives are at stake and will strive to be as kind as possible. I am no longer afraid of emotions and will use them to guide me in my battles. Most importantly, I am a saint of Athena, and everything I do reflects on her. I want to make Athena proud...

* * *

A/N: That's all. An interesting choice of subject, I know, but I honestly feel John Black had a bigger influence on Aiolia's character than most people acknowledge. Anyhow, next story (Shaka's), completes this collection. I am so excited! Review!


	13. Human Voice

A/N: This one's for Shaka, and it is also the last one of the collection. Amazing how quickly thirteen chapters come around. I must also say Shaka is my second favorite gold saint, and the favoritism I feel towards him made this no easier to write. This was by far the hardest one to write out of all of them. Still, I really do like this one. I won't say it's my favorite-Golden Heart was-but it's up there. Second fave, maybe? I am not entirely sure Shaka is actually in reincarnation of Siddhartha, no one quote me on that. I was watching episodes with very bad subtitles and my Japanese is not perfect, nor did the English manga clarify that detail. I am sad to see this end, but at the same time, it is a relief. One more fic I have seen to completion. Hurray!

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For Shaka of Virgo, supernatural occurrences were as natural as breathing. His first memories were not of being held and spoken to by loving parents, but rather of spirits singing soothing songs to him in tongues he did not speak. He'd been isolated from the world practically since birth. As soon as he'd been born,the elders of his village recognized him to be the reincarnation of Siddhartha and discouraged too much contact with him so as not to contaminate him. By the time he was five-years-old, solitude and illness where all he knew. He remembered the day his new master-a kind-faced man with white hair-came to take him away from his world and brought him to the Sanctuary. At the time, he'd weighed a mere twenty seven pounds-far too light considering he was slightly above the height norm for kids his age-and was so severely malnourished his master had feared he would perish from illness before they could get him back to proper help. To Shaka's surprise, having people care about him made him feel uncomfortable. He didn't want others taking care of him.

Once his health had been stabilized and he had put on ten pounds, he resumed his normal quiet solitude. Aside from the time he spent with his master, he was alone, and that was what he liked. He had little desire to play with the other children his own age, the children who ran so carefree across the battle grounds as though nothing could hurt them. Under his master's instruction, he kept his eyes closed most of the time even though he was not blind so he could sharpen his other senses and he meditated. When he wasn't meditating or training, he was allowed to open his eyes so he could read books and complete puzzles. He never longed for human contact, nor did he expect for others to reach out to him. Then, slowly, little by little, all of that changed.

It all started with a visit to the same place he visited every day in his homeland in India. The day was particularly horrendous as his young eyes took in the sight of suffering and his young nostrils inhaled the stench of decay. Why had he not noticed this intense poverty when he'd been isolated. Even though he'd been malnourished before going to Sanctuary, he'd never been as hungry or miserable as some of the people looked. The suffering people looked at him in awe, a child by himself. His shoulder-length hair, in its unusual golden hue, as well as his pale skin, were clean, his white sari a new one his master had made for him. To people so poor, he must look like a god. He passed by three girls with long, matted hair, hugging each other and screaming in grief. Along the river banks, people from all villages prayed in their frayed clothing, their skin dirty and blistered. Where were the gods now when his people so badly needed them?

When he finally reached his private retreat, he threw himself on his knees and cried like the little kid he so often forgot he was. This was terrible! He closed his eyes, feeling his tears soak his long eyelashes. His body convulsed from his crying, but the more he tried to stop crying, the harder he cried. Had the gods abandoned him, too?

_**Shaka. My dear Shaka.**_ The voice spoke through the darkness.

Shaka took the same comfort from the voice as a regular child his age would from his mother.

_**Why are you so sad? You are only six years old, and yet you seat yourself here every day. What distresses you so?**_

"Today I saw bodies floating in the river", Shaka replied telepathically, feeling somewhat calmer. "And along the river banks were people from all the villages...they were praying...but to me, they looked like they were praying for death rather than life." He paused. "Why is our land so poor? It's like the people here are born just to suffer sadness and sorrow."

_**My dear Shaka, is that what troubles you so?**_

"Who wants to lead a life with nothing but suffering?"

_**Shaka, there is no life that contains ONLY suffering. Where there is pain, there is also joy, and vice versa. Beautiful flowers bloom, but they also wilt. Nothing that is born to this earth stays still for even a second. This is called transience. Human life is no exception.**_

"So if everything ends in death...doesn't the sadness win out in the end? Even if you seek out love and happiness, it will mean nothing when you die?" Shaka felt fresh tears flow down his cheeks. "Why do people keep getting born into this world to be consumed by death? Death is final and eternal...no one can avoid it..."

_**Shaka, you're forgetting something. Listen to me. Death does not have to be final. All of the holy beings of the past have overcome death. Dear Shaka, if you can comprehend this, you shall become the most godlike of mortals**_

Shaka fell face-forward on the ground, dizzy and dehydrated. He'd forgotten to eat or drink all day. As his eyes slipped shut, he heard the spirit's voice offer one last piece of advice

_**I am confident you'll fully understand when you get older, my dear Shaka. I only hope you won't completely cut yourself off from the contact of other humans.**_

Shaka tried to get himself up, but when he'd fallen, it had been with enough force to knock the air out of his lungs. He was too exhausted to get going, so he curled up on his side, resting his head on his arm. Within moments, he was asleep.

"Shaka...Come on, Child. Get up"

Shaka slowly peeled his eyes open to see who it was that kept shaking him. The shakes were gentle-more like nudges-but they annoyed him. His annoyance quickly evaporated as he realized the person shaking his shoulder was the Pope. He arranged himself into a respectful kneel as gracefully as he could.

The Pope's violet eyes beheld him in concern.

"Shaka, are you alright?"

"Yes, Pope Shion", Shaka replied quietly, hanging his head in shame.

He squeezed his eyes shut, feeling even more shameful, as a voice, frantic and soft, echoed off the cave's walls.

"Master Shion, was he in here? I asked the villagers, and they all said they saw him come here."

Shaka felt Shion's eyes bearing into him.

"Yes, Mu. He is right here."

"Ah, thank goodness."

Mu's gentle voice reached his ears and he heard the older child's footsteps come closer to him and Pope Shion.

Shaka held his breath, waiting for Shion to scold him. The harsh scolding he expected, however, never came. He cracked his eyes open as he felt something warm being slipped around his shoulders-Mu was putting a heavy cloak on him.

"You're lucky young Milo noticed you were missing and came to me", Shion said kindly. "You probably wouldn't be doing so well if you were left here all night."

Shaka merely nodded. His mouth was too dry to say anything, and he was confused. Why had Milo cared enough to notice he was missing? For that matter, why had Mu come along to help his master search for him, and why was the older child being so nice to him now? Nothing made sense-he'd never shown the slightest bit of interest in either Milo or Mu.

_**I only hope you won't completely cut yourself off from the contact of other humans.**_

Shion's arm slipped around his shoulder and helped him stand up.

"Are you ready to go, Shaka?"

"Yes, Pope Shion. I am sorry I caused so much trouble.", Shaka replied humbly.

"Maybe...", Shion said slowly. "Maybe it is time you moved on, Shaka...Maybe it is time for you to let go of this place and find somewhere else to train."

Shaka's blue eyes snapped open. He gave the Pope a pleading look.

"Please, Pope Shion..." he cut the protest short when he saw the pain in Shion's eyes. He sighed. "I understand."

"You are very wise for a child so young", Shion said. "Come on, Mu. Let us go back to the Sanctuary together."

There were no words spoken between any of them the whole way back to Sanctuary.

"Spirit", Shaka pleaded telepathically with his guide. "I am so confused. What do I do?"

For the first time in his young life, his questions went unanswered.

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"Shaka?"

Shaka didn't bother opening his eyes as he lifted his head at the sound of his master's voice. There was a rustle of fabric as his master settled down beside him.

"You can speak to me if there's something bothering you, Shaka."

"Are you sure, Master. I know this is a difficult time for you, since your best friend died recently."

There was the futility of life again. His master had shared such strong bonds of friendship with another it had been as though they were brothers, and for what? To stand back helplessly as his friend-his brother-died an agonizingly slow and painful death? Why would anyone _want _the company of others when it left them vulnerable to such sadness?

His master's warm hands wrapped around his own.

"I'm an adult, Shaka. You are a child. A gold saint, yes, but still a child. I will always be here for you, no matter what you need."

Shaka shook his head.

"It's OK, Master, really. I need to think this out on my own."

"Very well. Oh, I've set you up with a play date with Pope Shion's student, Mu. I think you two will get along very well."

"Wh-why?", Shaka stammered. The thought of interacting with another child his own age frightened him more than the thought of any war.

"Shaka, in nearly two years that you've been here, you have yet to speak with the other children. You are going to be seven years old soon. It is time for you to come out of your shell and spend some time with your peers. Part of sainthood is forming bonds with your equals."

Even as he protested, Shaka knew there was no changing his master's mind. The man was set in his ways.

"I'm not like you, Master. I don't need human company."

"No, you don't need it", his master agreed. "But it will make your days more enjoyable. Continue your meditation. I will send Mu by later."

Shaka just sighed. He was sure everyone in the Sanctuary was against him for some reason.

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Shaka brushed his bangs off his forehead. Somehow, he'd fallen asleep during his meditation.

"Ah. You're awake."

Shaka opened his eyes and blinked. A small figure with pink hair sat not too far away from him, a book in his hands. Mu had arrived.

Mu smiled at him and set his book in his lap.

"I know. You weren't sleeping, you were meditating."

Shaka felt a smile pulling at his lips.

"No, I was definitely sleeping."

Mu shrugged his shoulders. His green eyes held a glimmer of mischief that contrasted weirdly with his gentle features.

"I won't share your secret if you won't share mine."

Shaka rolled his eyes. Humans.

"I can't share your secret if I don't know what it is."

Mu motioned Shaka closer to him.

"I am not reading the book my master told me to...don't get me wrong, I like mythology, but this is far more fascinating. I don't think people realize how important our Cloth really is...it has its own life. It can die..." Mu's voice trailed so low Shaka nearly missed the last part of his sentence. "I want to find a way to repair it once it breaks."

Shaka blinked. Out of all his lessons, never once had his master mentioned anything about the Cloth having its own life.

"There's no way to repair it when it breaks?"

Mu shook his head.

"As of right now, no. Once a Cloth dies, it is lost forever."

"That would be a very good piece of information to learn", Shaka said, genuinely impressed. Here he was, talking to a kid only a few months older than he was, and they actually appeared to be on the same level of intelligence.

Mu stood up and walked around Shaka's stuffy bedchamber.

"You don't ever leave anymore?"

Shaka shook his head.

"I don't feel like explaining myself."

Mu just smiled again.

"Then don't."

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After their initial visit, Mu started coming by to visit quite often, usually accompanied by his friend, Aldebarran. They never really talked much, usually they read books while sipping tea, occasionally making comments. Sometimes they just plain lazed around, dozing off on days where they were especially exhausted. Every once in a while, Aldebarran would bring sweets he made. On those days, they would make tea and bring it outdoors and enjoy the sunlight.

Shaka found himself enjoying their company. For the first time in his life, he understood what it was to feel happy. None of them were very talkative, but that didn't seem to matter. Even in silence, they managed to have a good time together.

"Where are we going, Mu?", Shaka asked. It was his seventh birthday and Mu had told him he had something to show him.

"We're almost there. Just keep a hold on my hand and keep your eyes closed. It's a surprise."

Shaka could hear the birds' chirping growing louder, the cold, wet ground was making his feet freeze in his flimsy sandals, and there was a scent in the air that reminded him of the scent Aphrodite tracked through the temple every time he passed through it. They were definitely out of the Sanctuary-where was Mu taking him?

Finally after what seemed like an eternity, Mu said "Ok. You can open your eyes now."

Shaka slowly peeled his eyes open and blinked a few times against the bright light until they adjusted.

"SURPRISE!", a group of people sang. "Happy Birthday!"

Shaka stared in shock. His own master was there, of course, and so was Pope Shion. Beside him, Mu let go of his hand, and he could see Aldebarran's tall form standing near a tree. He also saw Aiolia, smiling and looking a little shy at the same time. The last people he noticed where Milo and Camus, standing away from the group, yet somehow part of it. Milo had his tanned hand clamped firmly around Camus's pale forearm. Milo was smiling. Camus looked like Shaka felt-like he thought running away was a splendid idea.

Before he could recover his wits, the blue-haired ball of energy known as Milo came rushing up to get a closer look at him.

"So this is what Gold Saint Shaka looks like. He'll become a legend among us-the man who never leaves his temple!"

Shaka smiled slightly.

"You have an unusual aura around you"

"Ohhh...what's that?", Milo asked.

"The aura of an idiot", Aiolia teased. Shaka could tell Aiolia was being playful by his tone of voice and the smile on his face.

Milo stuck his tongue out at Aiolia and turned his attention back to Shaka.

Shaka chuckled softly.

"I was going to say the aura of one who rushes into things and does not know when to hold his tongue."

"Which is a polite way of saying you're an idiot", Camus said.

Milo pouted.

"Everyone's so mean to me...ohhh!"

He dashed off and Shaka could see Aiolia's elder brother, Aiolos, approaching with something in his arms.

"Come on", Mu said, guiding Shaka over to a wooden table that had been set up.

"Mu? Why are we having my party in the middle of the woods?", Shaka asked.

"Pope Shion hoped to keep from distracting us older saints", Aiolos answered for Mu. "But it didn't work out as smoothly as he planned."

"It would have worked fine if you hadn't of followed me", Pope Shion replied. "And then you came up with some crazy story about Shura hurting his leg."

"It should have been his arm...he forgot where he was supposed to be hurt."

Shion shook his head as everyone laughed.

"I suppose I can't fault you for wanting to attend a birthday party."

"Nope. We need more parties", Aiolos set the cake down at the table.

Shaka's master situated the cake directly in front of him and the other children crowded around him to sing happy birthday. It was about halfway through the song that Shaka realized Milo was singing his own rendition:

"You look like a monkey and you smell like one-Ah! Camus! That's my foot!"

"Woops. Sorry", Camus replied.

The two started to bicker.

"Uhh...", Shaka said hesitantly. "Shouldn't you stop them?"

"Nah", Aiolos said. "Milo and Camus are best buds. Sometimes they need to argue with each other-such as now, when Camus believes Milo has been behaving inappropriately."

"Oh"

Shaka's master came up behind him with a cake cutter. He placed it in Shaka's hands and wrapped his own around the child's to help him hold the cutter steady.

"Best to do this quickly, incase their fight gets physical."

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Much later, after all the cake had been served and destroyed, Shaka sat back, idilly picking frosting and cake crumbs from his blond locks. He was watching Milo and Aiolia try to strangle each other while Aiolos attempted to break them up.

"Your hair is almost the same color as mine now in places", Mu said lightly.

Shaka could see sections of hair that had been streaked pink by strawberry frosting.

"Indeed it is", he agreed. "Somehow I thought food was for eating, not for throwing."

Mu smiled.

"With Milo and Aiolia around, it could be used for anything."

"I see."

Shaka went back to picking crumbs from his hair, but now he had a better understanding of human life. He was still at a loss at what Spirit's words meant-how could someone transcend death?-he now understood why people sought out the company of others. Even in the midst of sorrow, a good friend could ease the pain. The joy they brought to the life of another far outweighed the pain when they died.

While he wasn't ready to completely give up his solitude-nor would he ever be-he figured he could tolerate the company of his fellow gold saints for a while. After all, he already knew what it was like to hear the voice of a god. He heard them clearly and understood. Human voices, on the other hand, were a puzzle to him. A puzzle he was suddenly eager to solve.

END

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A/N: And that's it. Sorry for it being so late, I have been insanely busy, then I went to New York, and then I spent the past three months sick and in and out of doctors' offices. But I am better now and back. I hope you all enjoyed it. Please leave a review.


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